The Serendipity of a Misunderstood Winter Spirit
by Thebestbunny75
Summary: When a misunderstood Jack Frost becomes a threat to the children of the world, the Guardians are left with no other option but to end him. However, while trying to capture the spirit they've never met, a new threat emerges, & they're left with no other choice but to work together. What will happen when Jack, a presumed creation of Mother Nature, is granted guardianship by MiM? (AU)
1. The Hunt Begins

**A/N:** **Hello and welcome! This is a Rise of the Guardians AU fanfiction! Besides movie characters, some book characters and OCs will be included.**

 **In this AU, the Guardians have never met Jack and believe he is a danger to the children of the world from the rumors they've heard and the misconceptions they've adopted. So, after trying seemingly everything they could to convince him to stop, the Guardians seek to track him down and rid the world of the evil winter spirit forever. Does the Man in the Moon approve? Are they right to act in this way? If so, will they be able to succeed in erasing what they believe to be Mother Nature's mistake? Unbeknownst to them, however, Jack is just misunderstood and a creation of the Man in the Moon himself. When a new threat emerges, forcing the two unlikely parties to work together, will the Guardians overcome their preconceived notions of the winter spirit? Will Jack forgive them and accept his new title? Or will they all succumb to the darkest danger that the world has ever seen?**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **Chapter 1: The Hunt Begins**

When they were permitted by Mother Nature to finally remove Jack Frost from the world, the Guardians of Childhood didn't even hesitate to begin their search for the winter spirit. In fact, they were very grateful, albeit surprised, that Mother Nature had even considered allowing them to erase the mistake that she created about 300 years ago. Aside from Bunny's brief encounter with the spirit during the Blizzard of '68, none of the Guardians had ever actually met or clearly seen the cold-blooded imp himself. They were, however, very familiar with his work.

For the past 44 plus years, the icy miscreant of winter has murdered hundreds, no, _thousands_ of children and adults with his wintry powers. Granted, it could be a different winter spirit committing these acts, but all of the rumors and reports pointed directly to Jack Frost. If he was feeling kind, frostbite was in order along with stray icicles ready to plummet down onto people when they least expected it combined with fractures caused by slipping on the thick ice coating the sidewalks. However, this was all nothing compared to what he specifically did to children.

Any child lost or unsheltered in a blizzard would most certainly be found later under blankets of hardened snow, frostbitten and deathly stiff. Sometimes, the cruel herald of winter was said to even lure children to this cold grave using some form of magic other than his own. The Guardians speculated that Pitch could be helping him, but the King of Nightmares hasn't surfaced in years and hopefully never will again.

Regardless of their theories, though, one of the cruelest acts that the Guardians have heard the frosty menace commit was when a group of children went ice skating on a lake last year in Burgess, Pennsylvania, USA. A ten-year-old boy named Jamie Bennett had fallen through a patch of thin ice, plunging into the numbingly-cold water below, _and somehow_ , the area that he had fallen through immediately refroze, almost sealing the boy's fate forever. Luckily, as he desperately beat on the ice with his fists, the other children were able to grab a tree limb and break the ice with it before Jamie could drown.

He had been an exceptional case.

In years past, the Guardians have made many attempts to contact the winter spirit to somehow persuade him to stop these horrific deeds, but he's remained rather elusive as if he was avoiding them.

With this uncompromising danger to the children of the world becoming more constant, the Guardians of Childhood had to act. Before moving forward with their plan, they sought to contact the Man in the Moon and did so multiple times.

They never received an answer.

So, with no other choice, they tried the next best thing: Mother Nature. After all, she was the creator of all seasonal spirits, and since Jack was causing so much chaos, maybe she would be willing to straighten him out as opposed to their own plan. Initially, they felt bad about not being able to discuss this with Manny, but then again, the lives of children were at stake and each second counted. Besides, they could only assume that Manny would support the elimination of any threat to a child.

Once they had finally tracked down Mother Nature's ever-changing and moving empire, they promptly exited North's sleigh (some with more trouble than others) and approached it, awe-struck. Everything was so bright and beautiful. As they entered her hidden palace, which was surrounded by a densely forested perimeter, they noticed that the inside held a naturistic theme with leaves, flowers, water, fog, and so on. On the tall ceiling that resembled a canopy, a painted sunrise appeared to be moving as time passed, matching the sky itself. All around them, different types of nature spirits and sprites (seasonal ones being the most abundant), either glided through the air or gracefully walked with their own kind as they tended to their duties.

The bright nature of spring spirits filled the main room; summer spirits with their fiery aura worked with ambition; autumn spirits diligently prepared as they practiced painting leaves; the few winter spirits around isolated themselves as they perfected their snowflakes. Having never been in the presence of so many nature spirits, all of this was truly a rare sight for the Guardians.

After getting directions from a few nearby spirits (one of them being May Flowers, a spring spirit that Bunnymund knew well), the Guardians began making their way to consult with Mother Nature about Jack Frost. Before speaking with her, however, Bunny reminded them how temperamental she could be; she was, after all, an unpredictable force of nature. Having met her briefly before, the other Guardians remembered that she was so connected to nature that her surroundings would immediately reflect her own emotions no matter how drastic. So, his fellow Guardians promised to be very respectful in her presence lest they somehow angered her.

Once they approached her room, the group of legends was promptly welcomed in almost as if she knew they were coming. Now, Mother Nature and the Guardians conversed about what to do with Jack Frost.

"I'm afraid that as a last resort, Jack Frost must be killed, and it seems we're all out of options," Mother Nature concluded slightly upset and unfocused whilst the bottom portion of her long, obsidian-colored hair floated around freely as mist or fog would.

"I've tried talking to him, he just won't listen… He's caused too many problems; unlike most seasonal spirits, Frost has utterly disregarded his duties as a spirit under my domain, spreading winter however, whenever, and _wherever_ he wants to."

Now that she mentioned it, Sandy remembered back in 1979 when it had briefly snowed in the Sahara Desert and now wondered if it was Jack's doings. Why would a winter spirit do that anyways? Perhaps he would never know. No matter the reason, though, the Sandman knew how delicate the balance of nature was, and if the winter spirit was willing to even attempt to bring disharmony to Mother Earth herself, another reason was added to the list of why he should be eradicated.

Mother Nature continued, "He fights with every other seasonal he sees, even ones from his own season! Not to mention, the number of lives that have been lost because of his erratic and destructive behavior." She promptly turned away from them and faced a window overlooking an eternal garden as it started to rain softly outside, her long hair seemingly flowing around her as some type of consolation.

After a moment of silence, Bunnymund spoke up in a humble tone, "What do you propose we do?"

The graceful woman, with her golden eyes looking out the window, sighed sadly before answering, "Capture him and do as you see fit. He is no longer one of us."

After a few parting words, the Guardians nodded and emptied out of the room, leaving Mother Nature behind. The seasonal spirits gathered in groups seemingly more happy-looking than usual while they chatted and gossiped. The Guardians noticed the spring, summer, and autumn spirits seemed to converse in their own groups while the other nature spirits present simply ignored them or slinked into the background to continue their work. Words like "Jack Frost" and "Guardians" and "vanquish" could be heard in all of their passing conversations as the Guardians exited the palace.

Yes, Nicholas St. North, Toothiana, Bunnymund E. Aster, and Sanderson Mansnoozie would be the ones to vanquish the demon. Then, and only then, will the children of the world finally be safe again.

But first, they needed to track down the icy devil. Mother Nature had shared Frost's general whereabouts with them, but after that, they would have to find him on their own. Once they reached North's sleigh, Sandy offered to track Jack using his Dreamsand. Of course, they've tried this method many times before to try and contact the frost spirit, but all attempts failed most likely due to how far his proximity was from Sandy and whether he was sleeping at the time (which all spirits occasionally do). Nevertheless, it will work this time since they will be close enough to track his exact location (and since North read in a book stating that winter spirits usually slept the most and were in their weakest stage in the spring and summer months of the Northern Hemisphere). So, once Jack falls asleep, and Sandy's Dreamsand comes into contact with him, Sandy will be able to trace Jack, and they will be ready for him with the strength of a thousand winter-spirit-slaying warriors.

Earlier, when they had asked Mother Nature why she couldn't help them capture Jack, she simply responded with, "It's not my place to do so." The meaning of that, they may never know. They did know, however, that they had a job to do and that was to protect the children of the world whether it be from the dark King of Nightmares or the cold-hearted and malicious Jack Frost.

Overhead, although they couldn't see, the moon seemed to dim as if something was wrong.

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Meanwhile, in a taiga forest located somewhere in northern Québec, a teenager looking to be about 17 years old trudged alone through the deep snow with a small limp, a slightly forlorn yet composed expression on his face. While tall in stature, he was slim and lightweight. His silvery-white hair and pale complexion seemed to rival the snow itself while his eyes were the brightest of ice-blues. Strangely, scratches blemished some areas of his face, and it seemed as if he was recovering from a split lip and a now barely visible black eye. His outfit consisted of a slightly dirtied blue hoodie with frost patterns emanating from the collar area and sleeve cuffs, brown pants that became tattered towards the bottom below the knee, and no shoes whatsoever. In his hand was a wooden staff resembling a shepherd's crook.

But where were his sheep?

No. He had none, for nothing and no one could see him. Well, that was the case unless he encountered another spirit.

But every other spirit he's encountered has warranted him unwanted attention which generally resulted in some type of fight. Besides, everyone hated him. He could see it in their eyes and how they tried to ignore or cause a reaction within him. In conclusion, no other spirit has ever actually wanted to be friends with him; not even other winter spirits.

He was a loner.

An outcast.

A reject.

A _mistake._

Even Mother Nature has probably disowned him by now, not that she owned him in the first place. It was the Moon who created him to start with anyways. It doesn't matter though.

He was invisible, alone, and lost in the world forever with only the North Wind to call a companion. Just then, with a lethargic wave of his staff, snowflakes began to descend from the sky, an unseen force blowing them around as they fell.

The teen then shifted his gaze up to the Moon which was just starting to appear in the late afternoon sky covered in snow clouds, and continued his depressing contemplation further, looking back down to his feet.

Heck, the Moon hasn't even talked to him since he rose from the icy waters of his lake.

And then there's the Guardians.

How dare they even exist.

Of course, he had never met the Guardians in person except for Bunny, but he despised them for one reason and one reason alone.

 _Why are they the only ones who can be seen?!_

For the longest time, he had spent a good portion of his life trying to make kids love his work, _hoping_ to become visible to them, but failed. It was _soul-crushing_ whenever they passed through him like he was _nothing._ So, he did what any sane spirit would do and gave up. Occasionally, though, he would have fun with children during snowball fights or sledding, but it just wasn't the same without them being able to acknowledge him.

Besides, nobody really liked the "Season of Death." Or him for that matter.

The abrasive sideways glances and threats he'd always received when he bumped into another spirit reminded him of this fact. Suddenly, he exhaled rather sharply and flinched before pausing in the snow and cradling his ribs. He promptly recovered, pushing through the pain, and continued. Heck, one would think that the scars he's gained from those confrontations would dishearten him forever.

But he still dreamed, no, _longed_ for someone like the spring spirit from earlier who didn't despise him to _see_ him, to _talk_ to him, to actually _acknowledge_ him, to make all the pain, despair, and loneliness go away by _believing_ in him.

Was that too much to ask?

Maybe he was just crazy.

Or maybe he deserved it.

Maybe he was a terrible person in a past life (if he even had a past life), and this was his punishment for all eternity.

He shrugged.

300 years of being almost completely alone and hated would make anyone crazy, he supposed. Sighing, he lifted his head to gaze at the sky, feeling the wind gently rush past him with fondness.

"Hey, Wind!" He called out. Suddenly, the wind roared awake as if it was responding to the boy.

"Take me home."

The teen jumped nimbly into the air and was immediately caught by the invisible force he called "Wind." The slender being was then carried off, now soaring high into the sky.

This was the cold, cruel and terrible wintry being that every spirit knew as _Jack Frost_.

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 **A/N:**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Please feel free to review and tell me what you think! All reviews are appreciated! I will update as soon as I can so until next time, bye!**


	2. The Guardians' Judgment

**A/N:** **Welcome back to _The Serendipity of a Misunderstood Winter Spirit_! I hope you don't mind that this is a shorter chapter. The next one will be pretty long, though, so don't worry! It will also be centered around the perspective of Jack and a malicious figure (so SPOOKY, I know)! Anyways, in this chapter, the Guardians flesh out their harsh preconceived opinions of Jack as the search for the supposedly dangerous winter spirit continues.**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **Chapter 2: The Guardians' Judgment**

E. Aster Bunnymund was not fond of the cold.

As a spirit of spring and the Guardian of Hope, the Pooka disliked the deadly low temperatures for obvious reasons.

E. Aster Bunnymund was also not fond of flying.

Being a tunneling creature, he was most comfortable either on the ground or in it.

Unfortunately, though, the Easter Bunny was now soaring high in the cold sky above Québec as he, along with the other Guardians, sat in North's sleigh. This was not by his choice, however.

When they were leaving Mother Nature's palace, he had offered, no, insisted that he could take his own tunnels instead of riding in North's death trap for the second time (the first being when they sought out Mother Nature).

When Bunny's suggestion was denied, he was promptly hoisted into the sleigh by North, and before he could verbally protest any longer, the large Russian grabbed the reins of the sleigh, cracking them upon the reindeer, and they were off, leaving the ground and lifting into the sky. To the Pooka's left, because dusk approached, Sandy was now spreading his Dreamsand to sleeping children in the area as Tooth ordered locations to her chittering fairies for them to collect teeth.

Now, as he shivered vehemently and held onto the sides of the sleigh for dear life, Bunny silently cursed the bloody little frost spirit they were searching for; it was the icy devil's fault that he was even out there _six days before Easter_ in the first place anyways.

Yes, Bunny had been _furious_ that he had been called to the Pole so close to Easter, much to the jolly delight of North of course. Bunny had been even more furious when North told him that he thought something had to be done quickly about Jack Frost because he felt it "in his belly."

Reportedly, Jack Frost had recently killed yet another child with his deadly cold, and North argued that they've waited for far too long and could no longer stand by while other children could become the cruel spirit's next victims. Although Bunnymund agreed that the string of deaths connected to Jack Frost was appalling and needed to be discontinued, he disliked the idea of hunting the wintry miscreant down just six days before Easter.

However, much to the annoyance of the Pooka, North reasoned that it was the perfect time to act since the transition from the cold of winter to the warmth of spring weakened winter spirits to some extent but not enough to where they would need to migrate to the poles for the season, leaving Jack an easy to find, weak target. According to North, all of this information came from an old book that revolved around seasonal spirits he had found in his library which Bunny doubted the validity of considering an update was greatly needed. So, to help decide on what they should do next, the Guardians sought an audience with the Man in the Moon.

Surprisingly, though, when they had tried to communicate their plan with Manny, they received no answer whatsoever. This was a sign that told them not to go through with the plan just _six days before Easter_ , Bunny thought.

Under his breath, the Pooka involuntarily grumbled when he remembered the conversation he had with North once they had all met up at the Pole. He had tried to convince the hefty Russian not to do this so close to Easter. Of course, though, the phrases "I'm dealing with perishables" or "I've still got three million eggs to finish up" was not enough to persuade North seeing that they were all now flying above the bloody freezing taiga of Québec looking for the bloody frostbite spirit _Jack Frost_.

Despite his disliking of their search's timing, though, Bunny knew that deep down, he was glad to be rid of the malicious troublemaker soon. No more _winter-related tooth accidents for children_ , no more _blizzard-induced perilous sleigh-rides for North_ , no more _interrupted dreams caused by the sudden draft of the biting-cold_ , no more _frozen egg hunts_ , no more _repeats of_ the Blizzard, and no more _deaths caused by_ Jack.

Just then, Bunny seemed to relax a bit but then glanced over the side of the sleigh and had to refrain from spilling his carrots. In an attempt to avert his thoughts from these troubles, the Pooka decided to start a conversation concerning one of his favorite things to complain about.

"Did ya see those winter spirits? Nasty lot right there! Always tryin' to freeze my googies during egg hunts!"

"Oh, Bunny," Tooth started as she pulled away from giving orders to her mini-fairies, "Other than Jack Frost, I'm sure not all winter spirits are bad. I mean, they're just doing their job, right? Plus, their teeth looked well-taken cared of…" On saying the last part, Tooth and her mini-fairies almost seemed to reminisce before refraining themselves from doing so any further.

He scoffed, disregarding her comment on their teeth. "If by job you mean spreading the season of death around then no," Bunny stated haughtily before continuing, "Y'see, Sheila, not every group of seasonal spirits are cut out to be nice, especially winter spirits." As if on cue, he shuddered when a sudden cold breeze wrapped around him, the wind seemingly unhappy about his statement.

North overheard Bunny and somewhat disagreed. "Vhat, Bunny! Every nature spirit has reason, no matter how small or unliked." Normally, North would agree with Bunny's statement since winter spirits were known to be somewhat callous, but the unextreme ones still had a purpose nonetheless. After all, snow was a well-known characteristic of Christmas in most cases so how could he not defend them in some way.

North promptly looked back from the front seat and continued, "Speaking of this, Mother Nature seemed rather saddened by Jack's fate."

"Pfft, right. Mate, he's a _mistake_! I'm surprised that Mother Nature even looked sad when we told her everything that monster has done! I expected her to be furious!"

Sandy, who was still spreading his Dreamsand around to sleeping children, turned his head and nodded in agreement.

Tooth broke from her order-giving and stated her opinion on the matter. "Well, even if Jack Frost is terrible and considered a mistake, he is still Mother Nature's creation."

"Toothy makes good point! Maybe this is why Mother Nature did not want to join the fight against him. Maybe it would pain her too much to destroy her own creation, no?"

"Creation or not, Frost needs to go." Bunnymund assured them sternly. The others nodded in agreement; Jack Frost was an extreme danger to children after all and nothing more.

As she continued to pipe orders to her fairies, Toothiana pondered about the mysterious and cruel spirit they've tried so many times to contact before and persuade to stop. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn't even know what Jack Frost looked like.

She had always automatically thought of a preconceived image when hearing his name. Jack Frost the callous, slim, well-dressed, and middle-aged man, a spirit with snow-white hair, pale skin blemished with frostbite, and piercing blue eyes that could freeze someone under their cold, unforgiving gaze. But how could she know? Besides Bunny, none of them had ever even seen him clearly. So, to subdue her curiosity, she asked a question everyone besides Bunny was thinking.

"What does he even look like anyways?"

Although it was faint, she noticed the Pooka's ears twitch at the question. They all knew that the Blizzard of '68 was understandably a touchy subject for Bunny to talk about. It had hurt all of them, the Blizzard did. All of those poor children lost to the cold…

"From what I could see through the snow, he's very skinny and somewhat tall. About 5'8. Maybe 5'9. Typical winter spirit features, white hair, blue eyes, pale. Once I got close enough to confront him about his mess, though, I saw that he looked rather young, most likely in his late teens. I thought that it was strange, y'know. From what I've heard, he was supposed to look a lot older. I assume it must've been some sort of trick to make me go easy on 'im."

North nodded before chiming in. "I've read from book that some seasonal spirits can obtain ability to shapeshift so it could be possible that it was trick."

That really didn't surprise any of them; the rumors that they've heard label Jack to be very crafty and cunning.

Bunny suddenly directed his attention to Sandy as he continued to spread his Dreamsand.

"Any luck finding him Sandy?"

Sandy shook his head.

In response, Bunny gave an insincere sigh of disappointment.

"Well, are we about ready to call it a day and finish this search up tomorrow? I've gotta finish preppin' for Easter," Bunny added as he shivered in his seat.

North looked over his shoulder, smiling heartily as he saw through Bunny's façade.

"Bunny!" North interjected. "Cold is not too bad!"

"Too bad?! Mate, I'm freezin' my ears off!"

The large Russian laughed as he waved off Bunny's complaint, "Bah, you'll be fine!"

As Bunny grumbled something under his breath, the others chuckled at his attempt to postpone the search. As this happened, North took out a snow globe from his heavy coat, and after bringing it near his mouth, whispered the next location that was recommended to them by Mother Nature for being another place that Jack dwells around often.

"Burgess, Pennsylvania."

With that, the Russian threw the globe in front of the sleigh, triggering a portal to appear. Without a second thought, North cracked the sleigh's reins and the reindeer promptly pulled the sleigh through the portal to Burgess, Pennsylvania.

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 **Q &A**

 **These are questions and answers regarding _The Serendipity of a Misunderstood Winter Spirit._ Feel free to ask questions about this AU Fanfiction, and I'll try my best to answer them all in the next Q &A.**

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 **Is Jack injured (in Chapter 1)?**

Yes. Yes he is (and you will find out why in _Chapter 3: Spring's Parting Gift to Winter_ ).

 **As a spring spirit himself, doesn't Bunny know that death (winter?) is important for the rebirth (spring) of new life? (Suggested by a Guest)**

Yes, he does know. Despite this, however, Bunny is so blinded by the hate that he has for winter spirits (they always freeze his googies and cause other problems y'know), he doesn't really care for it. This fuels his hatred for Jack even more. Besides winter, though, he doesn't find a problem with any other season because they don't seem to give rise to any issues concerning death even though there are a lot of other things to consider (e.g. spring: pollen/allergy related deaths, summer: drought, autumn: famine from an unsuccessful harvest, etc.). Nonetheless, Bunny just doesn't consider these things.

 **What other nature spirits can be found in Mother Nature's palace?**

As mentioned before in Chapter 1, Mother Nature's palace harbors many types of nature spirits like:

· _Seasonal spirits (About 50% of Nature Spirits)_ \- Seasonal spirits herald and spread the four seasons. Some famous seasonals include April Showers (Spring) and May Flowers (Spring).

· _Weather spirits (About 25% of Nature Spirits)_ \- As their name suggests, these spirits specifically control the weather. Their powers are usually restricted to one or two focuses (e.g. precipitation or humidity). As a side note, weather spirits differ from seasonals in the way that they only have short-term effects on the area they decide to work in unlike seasonals which actually change the area for an entire season with many different focuses. Some famous weather spirits are the twins Thunder and Lightning.

· _Elementals (About 12% of Nature Spirits)_ \- Spirits who control specific elements like water, earth, fire,  & air. They sometimes serve as guardians to protect specific landmarks in accordance to their element.

· _Teller or Oracle Spirits (About 8% of Nature Spirits) \- _ Like Mother Nature, teller spirits can predict what is needed to benefit the Earth and avoid disaster. Of course, every nature spirit has some sort of indicator on whether they need to do this or that, but it is often not in sync with what other spirits are trying to do, thus sometimes causing havoc. Teller/oracle spirits alleviate this. The Groundhog is a famous teller/oracle spirit that decides whether 6 more weeks of winter is needed or not.

· _Sprites (About 5% of Nature Spirits)_ _-_ Unlike other nature spirits, sprites aren't true spirits; These mischievous elves, fairies, and pixies can automatically (without believers) be seen by humans if they're not careful. Usually, sprites assist other nature spirits when they're not causing mischief though.

And, of course, Mother Nature has all of these abilities and more.

 **How do seasonal spirits come to be?**

 _Well_ , when a mommy seasonal and a daddy seasonal love each other very much— _Just kidding, yeesh_. Mother Nature sometimes resurrects different creatures (not just humans) that she deems worthy enough a chance to herald a season for all eternity, which is a very high honor that most don't refuse. She rarely ever just walks up to a living creature and gives it to them, that is strictly only for special cases (e.g. E. Aster Bunnymund). More than half of the time, though, she'll just create a seasonal spirit from scratch right out of thin air. Despite all of this, there have been cases where seasonal spirits were actually born from other spirits, but that's another story for a different time.

 **Why did you write that Jack has been doing evil for about 44 years (in Chapter 1)?**

Assuming that this takes place when the original movie took place (which was in 2012), if you subtract 44 years from 2012 you get none other than 1968. :}

 **Why are the Guardians so judgmental of Jack?**

Well, they've never met him and are only going off of what they've heard about Jack. They are so convinced that he is the cause of so many deaths that they are willing to be judgmental about him because why not; plus, they're Guardians, and their job is to protect children at any cost. If you were a Guardian and you heard about some winter spirit killing kids, wouldn't you want to act?

 **Will this AU Fanfiction follow the plot of the original movie?**

In some ways, this fanfiction will follow the plot of the original movie, but not too closely. I can't reveal anything else, I don't want to spoil anything. :}

 **When are your OC's going to appear?**

Some will appear in Chapter 3. They are spirits of a particular season too, MWAHAHAHA!

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 **A/N:**

 **Well, that's all for now! I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you all so much for reading and for your support! Please feel free to leave a review! Remember, anything you have to offer is appreciated as I would love to hear what you guys think! Also, feel free to ask any questions, and I will try my best to answer them all in the next Q &A! Until next time, bye!**


	3. Spring's Parting Gift to Winter

**A/N: ****_Oh my gosh, you guys are amazing!_** **Thank you all so much for your support! It has really kept me motivated! Anyway, welcome back! In this chapter (which begins when Jack has returned home from Québec), Jack dwells on the day's events and how he obtained the injuries that were hinted at in Chapter 1. There's a very long flashback in this one that will start and end with this** **"❅❆❅"** **symbol so get ready for the feels and keep your eyes peeled (Ha, that kinda rhymed)!**

 **RECOMMENDATION: Keep in mind that this is a** ** _really_** **long chapter (over 8,000 words) so I recommend taking breaks from reading whenever you come across a flashback symbol, break-line, or whenever you feel like it. It's entirely up to you! I'm saying this because unless you like binge-reading or you have a lot of time on your hands (both of which are totally fine though), it's better to relax and take breaks instead of cramming and reading the entire thing at once (which will take about 40 minutes straight if you have normal reading speed).**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **Chapter 3: Spring's Parting Gift to Winter**

Dark clouds consumed the night sky, leaving the moon and its light partially hidden from the town of Burgess, PA, USA. Not far away, the wind howled as it carried the young winter spirit, Jack Frost, gently to the forest floor, a frigid breeze following.

After landing, Jack made his way through the lonely forest surrounding Burgess, staff in hand, until he came across a frozen lake and began to walk on it with ease. This action automatically caused the lake to receive a nice new coating of ice, adding to the thickness of it.

With his bruised eye still throbbing with pain, he looked around at the gloomy area with an air of melancholy before producing a sigh, wincing almost as soon as he did, his lungs burning.

This was _his_ lake, the one that the Moon pulled him from all those years ago.

To the sides of the lake, bare trees and snow-sprinkled, untamed shrubbery littered the area. To the far corner was a rocky barrier jutting out of the Earth, separating the lake from the rest of the dense forest. Other than that, though, access to the lake was pretty open. Jack, who was now standing at the center of the frozen lake, looked around once more at the dreary area surrounding him.

Yep.

This was _his_ home. His desolate, unchanging home. It was true that in his three hundred years of existence, the lake hadn't changed much despite the advancing society—originally called Hawthorne—residing near it. Truth be told, although Jack disliked the isolated ambiance the place held, he really hoped it would stay that way; after all, his lake was among the few things he had to call his own. Many times, he had heard stories of other nature spirits having their homes demolished by construction companies, leaving them to either find a new home or take residence at Mother Nature's palace. Jack disliked both ideas because he loved his home dearly even if it did get lonely from time to time.

Besides, it wasn't _that_ lonely. Occasionally, kids from the Burgess area came to his lake during the winter, deeming it a fun place to hang out and sometimes even skate on (which prompted him to always put an extra layer of ice on the lake just to be safe, of course). And although they couldn't see him, Jack still enjoyed watching them play games, talk, and carry on snowball fights that he started. Still, it did hurt.

Coming out of his thoughts, the wintry teen sighed again, promptly grimacing afterwards but soon developing a dejected expression. He then turned his gaze to the thick, transparent ice underneath his feet, his eyes fixed on the liquid abyss below it.

Wind, taking notice of this familiar behavior, knew that this meant he was depressed. Every so often, he did this—just stared into the watery darkness below, probably contemplating his life and why he was created, which was understandable, she thought, since the Moon hadn't given Jack any reason not to. At first, she had assumed that this mannerism was probably just a harmless act, but the continuous nature of it made her worried. He used to be so buoyant and free when he played with her and pulled pranks, but now, he just seemed so lost and sad.

Wind didn't like that one bit.

So, to pull his attention away from depressing thoughts, she swooped by him and playfully ruffled his hair. In response, Jack looked up and gave her a superficial laugh, his lips now holding a small smile. The winter spirit was usually playful when it came to Wind, but he was just too tired both physically and emotionally to really respond in the way he wanted to. Wind swirled around him in glee, though, for she had at least gotten a laugh and a smile out of him; she was content for now at least.

Nimbly, the boy glided off of the frozen lake to a nearby tree that was enveloped in the moonlight that had peeked through the thick clouds above. He carefully leapt into the tree, landing on a sturdy branch laced with thawing snow. As he reclined back on his side, he couldn't help but let out a groan of pain as his injured ribs came into contact with the trunk of the tree that he decided to sleep on for the night. The teen promptly shifted off of the tender spot and relief immediately flooded his senses. With his back now against the tree's trunk, causing it to slowly frost over, Jack gingerly cradled both his staff and his impaired arm that was luckily, thanks to a certain spring spirit, starting to feel a lot better. The bruises and marks on his face along with his injured ribs more or less so. Closing his eyes, he began to recollect the day's events.

This morning, he had been spreading a light layer of frost in the area near his lake. Truth be told, Jack knew that he should've left while he still could, but he had always hated this time of year—not really because of the season change, but because he would have to leave his home behind and would not be able to return until mid-autumn. The thought of leaving his lake unattended for so long had always disconcerted him, but he had accepted the fact that it was a necessary evil; he just couldn't afford the cost of staying in the area during the other seasons.

By now, it was springtime in the Northern Hemisphere as the world was already two days into the month of April, and his energy was fading almost as fast as the snow in the area was melting. Soon, he knew he would have to retire to either the Arctic or at least somewhere in the southern hemisphere like Antarctica.

Personally, Jack preferred Antarctica because of the smaller chance of running into anybody he knew or didn't want to know. Not to mention, the colder temperatures, which could reach a comfortable -80°F (-62°C) or colder during the Southern Hemisphere's autumn and winter. However, as much as he would love to indulge in the wonderfully cold temperatures of the continent, the winter spirit was now afraid that he wouldn't even make it past the heat of the equator this year because of the injuries he had recently sustained from a few spring spirits this morning.

In the past, it happened rarely, only when he had happened to encounter one of them during the transition of the seasons, and they had seemed cross with him. Ever since the Blizzard of '68, though, these encounters grew more frequent and harsh. Anyway, as he lightly frosted the landscape this morning, some spring spirits had come looking for him, ready to deliver their seasonal parting gift. ❅❆❅

Jack had tried to fly away as soon as he felt their painfully warm aura approaching, but they had quickly caught up to him and struck without hesitation. After being knocked clean out of the sky, he had tumbled down to the Earth, smacking into many tree branches along the way with his staff falling a few feet away from him. The winter spirit was then roughly seized and held to the thawing ground by warm hands before he could even regain his breath. After struggling for a moment and deciding it was a futile attempt, he directed his gaze upwards at the insidious figures of spring as they loomed over him; he instantly recognized most of them from previous scuffles.

April Showers with her shoulder-length, silvery blonde hair and steely purple eyes was dressed in her usual rain gear while she smirked down at his vulnerable form. Her younger sister, May Flowers, who physically looked about 15, donned a flowery dress and held a malevolent glint in her green eyes as her honey blonde hair sporting various types of flowers cascaded past her shoulders.

His frosty gaze then shifted to another teen standing near the spirits that were towering over him but did not recognize her soft purple-blue eyes as she stood in the background, a slight look of uncertainty on her face. He noticed that she physically looked about his age. Like Flower's, her hair cascaded past her shoulders but was wavier and light brown in color instead of a honey blonde. Her outfit consisted of a knee-length, short-sleeved dress—almost looking like some sort of modified, belted chiton that he saw in a book once—that was composed of some type of flowy, light purple-blue fabric. On the hip and to the sides of the dress, Jack could see that there were built-in pockets probably harboring a knife or some other weapon to harm him. All of this only took a second for him to observe before he tried to figure out who was restraining him.

Jack could not see the two spirits behind him but silently cursed them as they tightly held him to the ground, their uncomfortably warm hands pushing both his shoulders and back down as one locked his arms behind him in place. Nevertheless, Jack continued to scowl defiantly at the three figures that he could see before him.

Jack recalled that the last time he had seen so many spring spirits gathered together in one place (other than in Mother Nature's palace, of course) was when he had pranked a group of them the year before last. How could he not resist temptation when they had just caused a whole patch of flower buds to sprout out of the ground on the very edge of _his_ season? He had lightly frosted them over thinking only of their shocked faces when they would find out that he was the cause of the rather harmless prank, but they (one of them being May Flowers if he remembered correctly) seemingly found it extremely offensive, thus worsening the already unnecessary vendetta that the spring spirits had against him. Truth be told, he had hoped that his prank would just induce the spring spirits to give him a little attention through conversation, which was all he really wanted, but he knew that it would probably just bite him in the butt one day, and it seemed like today was that d—

A smooth, masculine voice from one of the goons behind suddenly startled him out of thoughts.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A _winter_ spirit in spring?"

Jack had closed his eyes so the spring spirits couldn't see him roll them. _Great. Verde's here. Just fantastic._

Next came another familiar voice from one of the spirits restraining him.

"Looks like it to me. What do you think we should do with _it_? April? May? Any suggestions?"

 _Ugh, I hate this guy. I don't even know his name, but I hate him._

Jack glared back at the three spring spirits before him and waited for their answer. Of course, Wind was freaking out right now, swirling and roaring around his captors, trying to do something but couldn't. It didn't help that the wind that April and May controlled (The East Wind) was chasing _his_ Wind (The North Wind) around, causing minuscule tornados to appear around them during the high winds' chase.

As for Jack, he desperately wanted to struggle, to get away and flee, but couldn't considering his staff was a good distance away, he was restrained, and his powers were meant to submit to spring's vicinity, or in this case, its spirits. By now, he couldn't even take their heat and was already starting to sweat (a very bad sign for a winter spirit). As he continued to stare daggers at them, waiting for April's response, Jack started to involuntarily droop in their grip, his breathing becoming ragged as the warmth obviously started to take a toll on his naturally cold body. Besides, even if he could fight, he knew from experience that struggling always made it worse for both parties.

He watched as April put her hand up to cup her chin, seemingly pondering all of the ways they could harm him. Then, as if she finally thought of something clever, she snapped her fingers, her violet eyes lighting up before narrowing at Jack.

"I think we should teach him a lesson. Y'know the one on how not to freeze the rain that I create for the Earth, turning it to sleet and snow."

May joined in. "And the one on how not to kill my blooms and flowers with their frost."

Jack then made direct eye contact with her and shrugged nonchalantly, trying not to show any pain as he responded with a slight smirk, "Enlighten me then."

In the next instant, his left cheek burned with the mark of a handprint, and he was shoved roughly into the ground by Verde and "Stupid-Jerk."

"Shut it, Frost!" May fumed vehemently as she continued, "I'm tired of you always ruining things! You never learn your lesson, and I hope this is the last I ever have to see of you, you cold waste of space!" She quickly rose her hand again to strike, and Jack closed his eyes tightly and shrunk back as he prepared for the blow.

He waited.

…

To his utter surprise, nothing had happened.

He opened his icy-blue eyes to see that the girl accompanying them was now holding tightly onto May's wrist, effectively blocking the blow that was meant for him.

"Sarila, what're you doing!?" May questioned incredulously.

The one that May called Sarila looked around at each of her comrades with an unsmiling, disapproving glare that could kill until her light purplish blue eyes landed on Jack.

Was that… _pity_?

In all of Jack's life, he had never seen a spring spirit or really any other spirit for that matter look upon him with such compassion. Something in his heart seemed to _thaw_ ; he was speechless to say the least. He looked away at the last second when her warm, sympathetic eyes began to bore into his cold, reclusive ones.

Sarila then looked to May sternly, still clutching her wrist as she spoke. "This is wrong. Why are we doing this?"

May quickly retracted her arm from Sarila's grip and gaped in shock and disbelief at the spirit before her who still held her ground. April, who Jack noted had an equally shocked expression, then stepped in and defended her sister.

"He," she gestured down to him with obvious disgust, "is a _nuisance_. A _troublemaker_. A **_mistake_**. You know the things he's done! How can _you_ even think that he doesn't deserve this?!"

In response, Sarila looked down to him. Once she directed her gaze back down to him, Jack saw the glimmer of solicitude in her eyes fade as she seemingly searched her mind for at least one solid reason. Jack, or at least his eyes, pleaded with her own but to no avail. Before another second went by, she retreated with her arms uncomfortably hugging herself and turned away nonchalantly, unable to look at anyone before walking away. Jack stifled his betrayed expression; how could he expect any different from a _spring spirit_?

"Fine," she answered over her shoulder. "But don't expect me to join you."

And with that, the one they called Sarila vanished as she walked away, almost as if she had evaporated, now gone without a trace. Not that Jack cared. He was used to being abandoned by now.

Jack didn't even bother to look up at the other spring spirits as they turned their attention back to him. All he heard was April say something about how Sarila was useless, to which he agreed, and her threatening voice suddenly shift towards him.

"So, are you ready to get started, _Jack Freakin' Frost_?"

Before he could prepare, a hard kick was delivered to his chest. He immediately jerked into the spirits behind him and gasped roughly as he tensed in pain, his eyes now shut as he grimaced. His last thought before the next kick was a very accurate prediction of what was to come.

 _This is gonna hurt._

* * *

For nearly an hour and a half, these so-called spring spirits, the bringers of life, the Good Samaritans of the seasonal world, taunted and beat Jack senseless, leaving him sprawled on the ground and on the brink of blacking out. With the injuries he had sustained, he wished he had blacked out.

Aside from being left bloodied in some areas and bruised in others, he knew that he had a sprained left arm, and from what he could definitely feel every time he breathed, a few broken ribs. He speculated that more than a dozen painful bruises littered his body while it pulsated with intense soreness. On his face, he knew that he had some cuts and scrapes in addition to a painful black left eye that was currently the cause of his blurry vision. His upper lip throbbed from where he guessed it became swollen from being hit. However, the taste of blood had entered his mouth long before he realized it was because his lip had slightly been split.

Feeling something slush-like underneath his nose, Jack feebly wiped whatever it was off with the sleeve of his blue hoodie only to find the color crimson smeared onto it. After letting out a small groan of pain and grimacing once it had left his lungs, he let his right arm fall back onto the ground as he closed his fatigued eyes.

During this, Jack had the urge to smack his dry lips and somewhat swallow the awful taste of iron from his mouth but didn't. He knew it wouldn't really help; the spring spirits had left him dehydrated if his light headiness, dry mouth, fever, sweating, and the heat flashes they had put him through attested to anything.

At least it wasn't as bad as that one time he encountered a summer spirit. Jack involuntarily let out a sudden shiver at that thought.

Averting his thoughts from that terrible day, the winter spirit craned his head to the last place he saw his staff. He was surprised that it was still on the ground a few feet away from where he first fell from the sky, considering it a miracle that none of them had even touched his staff.

So, with his good arm outstretched and his sprained one tucked underneath him, he started to crawl towards his staff, wincing in pain every so often as he struggled against the thawing ground. Once the staff was in reach, he grasped it and immediately fell limp, his cheek landing on his upper arm as he lay there breathing and listening to the worrying of the Wind.

It hurt.

It really did.

As he lay there face down on his outstretched arm, his hand around his precious staff, the cold young teen did something he promised to never do again: cry. Only one tear rolled down his cheek, though, before freezing halfway.

At first, he had thought it was solely because of his pranks that everyone disliked him, but he soon found out that his pranks were only a part of the reason. The other part, was simply because he was a winter spirit. In the past, Jack had learned and reluctantly accepted the fact that winter was not meant to rejuvenate life like spring did, sustain it like summer did, or bring harvest like autumn did. No, winter was death; it was cold and unforgiving, but that still didn't stop him from trying to prove others wrong with fun snowball fights, sledding, ice-skating, and the like. But still, even if he had convinced another spirit that winter was also a fun season, they would eventually be reassured by their friends that winter was, in fact, the total opposite.

And Jack had known from the very first time he came into contact with other seasonal spirits that there was an unspoken rivalry and even hatred between the four types of seasonals, and being a winter spirit didn't provide him with the best position to say that winter was a fun season. In response, his claim must've really irked some seasonals, as he remembered some spring, summer, and autumn spirits bitterly began to share with him that winter was not supposed to be fun, that it was meant to kill the life that they, along with other nature spirits, maintained. However, even though he was a spirit of winter, Jack really didn't wish to harm or kill anything or anyone, but rumors, most likely started by the other seasonals, told everyone else otherwise.

The first rumor he had heard about himself was around 1875. The rumor claimed that any child he came across would have their nose nipped, thus giving them a bad case of frostbite, which was completely untrue! He only nipped the noses of people he thought were mean to children and never enough to give them frostbite. Of course, though, the rumor circulated and no one questioned the origin except for Jack. Soon, other rumors began to come into existence, causing more spirits to shun or even fear him completely instead of just ignoring his pranks. The rumors that followed the first were much worse, some claiming that he began to give hypothermia to children and others asserting that he even intentionally buried them alive under snow if they were lost in a snowstorm.

It was all out of his control.

 _I don't understand…_

 _Why do these things happen to me?_

 _I don't understand._

 _Why does everyone hate me?_

 _I don't understand!_

The single tear from earlier that broke free from the corner of his eye and froze halfway down his cheek remained there as he thought, never to complete its journey to the ground. Providing a light soothing breeze, Wind attempted to comfort the spirit as he lay there in sadness. It somewhat seemed to work as Jack held back a sob, holding the emotion in while berating himself in his mind.

 _Who has time for all of this self-pity? I have other problems to deal with anyways!_

How was he going to fly to Antarctica now when he was this injured? Heck, how was he supposed to even get up? No one he knew would help get him back on his feet. No one cared besides Wind, of course. Jack knew, though, that he had to at least try to get up lest something worse were to come along and decide to take him up as a frosty punching bag again.

So, with his good arm, Jack readied himself to push his body up. With a lethargic and pained push, Jack lifted himself off the ground to face upwards, his aching back now to the ground as he looked to the clear blue sky above. A twinge of pain shot through his spine and to the sides of his torso where his broken ribs were housed, and the young spirit suddenly exhaled a gust of breath as pain overpowered his senses, making his vision blur further. Seeing this, Wind began to whirl around him with more worry.

Once he steadied his breathing and gathered his senses, Jack decided to give it another go, this time, finally pushing himself fully up into a sitting position. Afterwards, Wind seemed to tone her anxiety down to a soft, comforting breeze. Now, as he sat there with a slight wheeze, his blue eyes surveyed the scenery around him, and he puffed a breath upwards, causing a tuft of his silvery-white hair that had fallen over one of his eyes to move out of his line of sight. The warmth of spring had already thawed the frost that he had laid out earlier, and he had a feeling that he would be the next thing to thaw if he didn't get out of the warming area soon.

Suddenly, the Wind stopped and his bleary eyes frantically searched for the cause, the grip around his staff strengthening out of instinct. The moment that he snapped his head back to glance behind him was when he saw it.

A _spring_ spirit.

Jack, who faltered at first, recovered quickly and immediately shot up into the air and onto a nearby tree limb with the help of Wind, ignoring the painful complaints from his body as he pointed his staff at the other spirit in case they dare to even threaten him. In that instant, icy-blue eyes seemed to thaw under the familiar gaze of a pair of light purplish-blue eyes.

It was Sarila, _one of the spring spirits from earlier_.

Anger consumed Jack and he lashed out, swinging his staff a single time to deliver an icy blast to the spring herald who was close to the tree he was currently standing in. The other spirit didn't even flinch, though, as when the ice attack neared her, it simply melted, much to Jack's surprise. Jack was about to try again when the spring spirit unexpectedly spoke in a non-threatening tone and he paused to listen.

"I know what you're thinking, but… I _don't_ want to harm you."

Jack watched warily with narrowed eyes as the spirit held out her hands to somewhat reassure him of her supposed harmless intent. But Jack didn't buy it; in fact, he didn't even know what to think of this, and still held the same unbelieving stance, the Wind seemingly sharing his belief. After a while, Jack decided to speak, not letting his guard down, though, although his body begged him to just stop and rest there right on the spot.

"Is this a-a _joke_?" He asked, his voice slightly hoarse, with an incredulous tone that quickly turned into a mockingly-bitter one soon after. "What's wrong? Couldn't find any other winter spirits to beat up when you ditched your buddies so you came back here to finish what they started?"

The young spring spirit tensed slightly at the accusation but nonetheless kept the same reassuring form, a slight expression of guilt now present on her face.

"Please, I'm so sorry," she paused, looking down. "I didn't want this to happen, and I couldn't stop them… Please, you have to understand…" Her eyes suddenly developed some form of sadness as she looked back up at his beaten yet determinedly defensive form. She slowly began to step forward but was quickly stopped when Jack flourished his staff as a warning not to get too close. During this, his face adopted a bitterly-cold expression with a voice to match.

" _What do you want then?_ "

From his vantage point on the branch, she looked as though he could freeze her with just his gaze as she stated her answer softly.

"I-I want to help you..."

Hoping to seemingly convince him further, she sat down on the ground, her eyes following his as she went down. This action, they both knew, would hinder the use of her powers because of the limited motion she now had as she finished her spiel.

"If you will allow me to…"

Jack inwardly scoffed at the spirit's futile attempt. She wanted him to _trust_ _her_? _Not in a million years._ The way that she'd just nonchalantly left him to be tortured by her friends was not the ideal image of someone nice, let alone trustworthy in the slightest. Although his physical injuries would heal, he would be left with the scars of the emotional ones forever.

Scowling, Jack looked the spring spirit directly in the eye, his icy gaze portraying his anger towards her, before giving his final answer.

"No. I don't want _you_ to help me. _In fact_ , I want you as far away as possible from me! Now, if you ' _will allow me to_ ,' I would like to be left alone."

Without another word, Jack swiftly turned to leave, his offended and haughty state very apparent. Just as he was about to jump off the branch he was perched on and fly off with Wind, though, Jack suddenly grew lightheaded, his mind growing dizzy, and before he knew what was happening, he had lost his footing and fell from the branch.

His world was then consumed by darkness before he could even hit the ground.

* * *

When Jack woke up, both vision and mind even more blurred than before, he was flying above the clouds and soon realized that he was being carried by not only the Wind, but also by someone else. Because the familiar feeling of the wood was not present in either of his hands, Jack didn't worry too much about his beloved staff as he knew that whoever was carrying him must've had it, or at least he hoped so, otherwise they wouldn't be flying at all. Furthermore, whoever it was had their arm wrapped around his sore back and underneath his armpit in an attempt to hold him up as they flew, his head slumped against their shoulder—and whoever it was, was _warm_.

Carefully, without tilting his head, Jack shifted his eyes up to try and get a hazy glimpse of who exactly was carrying him. And, of course, it was that stupid spring spirit from before that just didn't know how to leave him alone—Sarila.

Jack promptly closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowing in frustration because he knew he couldn't do anything about her; he was far too weak. Jack should've known it was the persistent spring spirit carrying him by the way he felt like he was slowly melting, warmth practically encasing him ever since he had woken up; earlier, he had noted that her warmth was seemingly more powerful than the others' for some odd reason. As time passed, the warmth emanating from her body was becoming a little too much for his comfort, causing light perspiration, but he didn't have any energy to express it through words—his body was so sore and he was so weak that Jack doubted he could even move at all, let alone speak.

Abruptly, pain enveloped his lungs as Sarila shifted her hold on his back, unintentionally putting pressure on a tender spot, and he had to refrain from grimacing lest he wanted her to know that he was awake. After a moment, Jack silently recovered and thought about how his captor didn't even seem to notice his consciousness during the situation.

 _Wait, does she even know I'm awake at all? And why isn't Wind trying to help me get away from her?_

Opening his eyes, the wintry teen observed that Wind didn't even try to help or save him. In fact, with uplifting breezes, she fully encouraged Sarila's efforts to keep carrying him, much to his displeasure.

Jack glowered at the air before shutting his icy-blue eyes yet again.

He was going to have to have a serious talk with Wind about allowing him to just be carried off by some stranger, let alone a freaking spring spirit who most likely was just carrying him off somewhere warm so she would have the upper hand when fighting him.

Just then, his heart suddenly jerked when it occurred to the frost spirit that he had no idea where the spring spirit was taking him. His bleary eyes shot open in anxiety, and he ignored the pain of his bruised eye as he scanned the area below without moving his head. It was too cloudy beneath them to really tell where they were at, but by the way Wind was getting louder and colder by the second, he assumed they were heading north and he somewhat relaxed, closing his eyes.

Suddenly, a very cold gust of Wind swept through the area surrounding them, causing Jack to involuntarily sigh in relief of the spring spirit's warmth as the cold encased him while it instantaneously elicited a shiver from Sarila who had brought Jack closer to her in response. By now, from how hot he felt, Jack assumed that he must've seemed like a heating blanket to her by the way she kept bringing him closer, much to his annoyance.

Jack then heard the spring herald murmur to herself, "This is as far as I can go…"

As if on cue, he felt as if they were slowly descending from the sky, and after opening his eyes barely enough to see, he saw that his speculation was true. Sarila began to fly lower and lower with him, past the clouds, until they finally reached the snowy ground of what Jack assumed to be a taiga forest in northern Québec or maybe even Ontario. He fully closed his eyes as she settled him onto his back in a nearly thigh-high snow bank which was next to a pine tree. He could feel Sarila shiver, her heart beating faster from the cold as she slightly retreated.

On the other hand, to Jack, the cold was just heavenly, to say the least.

By now, it had already refreshed him from Sarila's warmth and the sweat that was once present on his body was now gone, but Sarila's hold, however, was not; one of her hands was still glued onto his shoulder from where she had laid him down in the snow. Jack, who was still pretending to be unconscious, couldn't wait for the moment she would just let him go and leave now that she definitely could not fight him while he was in his own element—not that he could fight anyways since he was far too feeble at the moment, but he now had more advantages against her in this environment.

After a while, when her sweltering hand did not leave his shoulder, however, the winter spirit wanted to jump right out of her warm vicinity himself and leave, but physically just couldn't. He wanted so desperately to find the coldest, loneliest corner on Earth where he knew he would be safe and curl up in it. But here, in a snowy taiga somewhere in the north, he lay injured, weak, and _vulnerable_ under the eyes of a _spring_ spirit.

 _Oh, why can't she just leave me alone?!_

Jack wanted to cry out and make a blizzard, to let all of his frustration, pain, and sorrow out, but couldn't—at least, not while he was still injured and definitely not while she was still there.

He was _powerless._

Finally fed up, once he had felt the familiar form of his staff being placed onto his torso by the spring spirit, Jack finally opened his piercing icy-blue eyes and gave Sarila, who was looming cautiously above him as though he were under examination, his best death stare in hopes of thwarting her malicious intentions and revealing that he was, in fact, fully conscious.

Sarila was slightly startled at the sight of him suddenly opening his eyes but quickly recovered and donned a calm expression as she too began to stare him down, her hand still on his shoulder.

As their little staring contest continued, Sarila's expression remained as constant as an ever-flowing waterfall; Jack's never faltered either. In fact, as each second passed, his threatening scowl deepened, daring her to make the wrong move.

Granted, Jack knew that he couldn't fight in his current state, but if the spirit before him made the slightest move that indicated that she wanted to harm him, he could at least try to latch onto one of her arms and give her frostbite almost instantly, regardless of how warm she was; the cold surrounding them slowly fed his strength as time passed, making this attack easier. Maybe then, she would finally leave him alone to his own devices. Her soft, trust-yearning gaze, however, began to bore into his fiercely cold glare. Nonetheless, he refused to surrender, knowing that something was not quite right.

Then, without breaking eye contact, Sarila began to kneel down slowly next to where he lay as if not to alarm him. Jack then watched as the spring spirit reached over to his injured, limp arm, and after carefully pulling up his sleeve, began to examine it, much to the surprise of Jack who had instantly sneered at the action in protest as both of her unbearably warm hands were on him yet again, but he physically couldn't pull his arm away. After giving his sprained arm a sympathetic look, she directed the same look—that he had speculated was fake but was otherwise very convincing—to him before speaking.

"Please," she began, her purplish-blue eyes pleading. "Hold still…"

Jack did not like where this was going.

Snowflakes began to fall from the clouded sky.

Right after she spoke, Jack was left feeling incredulous; she couldn't possibly still believe he would trust her, _right?_ The spirit before him was just like any other spring spirit he'd ever met—pompous, inconsiderate, and callous towards winter spirits, specifically the one called Jack Freakin' Frost that so happened to be himself. What made her any different? She didn't help him earlier so why is she acting like this now? Heck, she abandoned hi—

Suddenly, his angry contemplation was interrupted when she strengthened her grip on his sore arm, eliciting a suppressed whine from him as he grimaced in pain. When he opened his eyes, he silently cursed himself for becoming distracted in his thoughts when he saw Sarila pulling something from the side pocket of her dress with her free hand.

Jack, expecting the spirit to produce something harmful, tensed and started to struggle feebly and pull his arm from her grasp, his heart starting to race while he ignored her pleas to be still, his staff falling off his torso and onto the ground—snowflakes now falling frantically from the sky. It was a futile attempt, of course, but he had to at least try to do something lest he wanted to be in an even worse condition than he was already in. Just as he had gathered enough strength to lift his unrestrained arm up to administer a nice dose of frostbite to her, Jack turned his panic-stricken gaze back to what Sarila was pulling out of her pocket to see that it was just...bandages?

Jack's struggling ceased, and his body went limp as his eyes met back with the spring spirit's.

 _I don't understand._

Utterly perplexed by the spring spirit's actions, Jack gave her a confused look that traveled down to the bandages in her shivering hand. Did she seriously want to help him? Looking back up, Jack's eyes met with her soft purple-blue eyes, and they seemed to answer all of his questions through a sincere gaze as she refrained from shivering.

"I told you, I-I wanted to help. So, please… just be still, okay?"

Almost immediately, the snowflakes that were falling from the sky had stopped.

Jack was left speechless by this spirit twice in one day.

From the pure sincerity in her voice, Jack was convinced—she really did want to help him. The wintry teen had internally facepalmed in shame at the realization. She, a spring spirit who can easily be harmed by too much cold, had actually dragged him all the way north just to heal him. How could he have been so hostile towards the girl when all she really wanted to do was just help him? He had been so blind and foolish!

Without another thought, Jack exhaled a breath he didn't know he had been holding as he tiredly relaxed into the soft, welcoming snow bank beneath him, finally convinced that the spirit before him was good. Sarila seemed to get the message because as soon as he relaxed, she went to work, bandaging his sprained arm efficiently and gently without any trouble other than the occasional shiver. Jack, on the other hand, reveled and thrived in the cold, but he couldn't resist wincing every time she brushed over the tender areas of his swollen and bruised arm.

And there it was again—that same look of pity that she had given him earlier before _everything_ had happened. It was fleeting, but Jack couldn't help but instantly recognize the look that had initially set her apart from the other spring spirits he had ever met.

In fact, as Sarila continued to work on his arm, his half-lidded eyes studied her features, and he realized that she was a lot more interesting than the others. For one, he had to admit that she was rather beautiful. He knew that all spring spirits were, though, with the whole "rejuvenating life" theme going on, they had to live up to expectations, of course. But she was different somehow.

Wavy, light brown hair cascaded past her petite shoulders, and her face was elegantly sharp but soft at the same time with common spring spirit features like a soft dainty turn-up nose, full pink lips, and warm rosy-cheeks—a characteristic that all winter spirits lacked. _Her eyes_ , though, were not of a spring spirit's; they were of a flower—periwinkle, he decided, a flower that bloomed light purple-blue flowers for most of the year until winter came. They seemed to revel in kindness while she occupied herself with tending to his arm.

Without warning, her eyes flickered to his, and Jack immediately looked away, suddenly fascinated by his staff. He hoped that his blush, which usually tinted his skin a light purple-blue, wasn't as evident as it felt.

Sooner than he had expected, Sarila was finished bandaging his arm. And after he thought she was completely done with him, she unexpectedly grabbed the sides of his face, causing him to inhale a little out of shock as her hands were warm to the touch. Now, as she nonchalantly held the sides of his face gingerly, she inspected it a little too close for Jack's comfort but he complied nonetheless. Unsure of how to respond, though, he just held his breath, his crystal-blue eyes wide and avoiding as she scanned over his split lip, bloody nose, and black eye among the various scratches on his face. Then, while trying to stifle her shivering, Sarila spoke for the first time to him in what seemed like an eternity.

"These s-should heal up in about a week, so don't worry." She paused as she retreated, letting go of his face, before continuing. "I d-don't have any more bandages, but I'd be happy to see what else I can do to help. Do you hurt anywhere else?"

Almost immediately and without thinking, Jack shook his head "no" even if every time he breathed, searing pain shot through his ribcage. There was nothing she could do about his broken ribs, though, anyways other than look at them which would leave Jack feeling embarrassed if truth be told; old scars, and not to mention, the new scars and bruises that no doubt littered his torso now was not a welcoming sight, and he'd rather keep those things secret. Plus, it's not like he's never handled a few broken ribs before so why should he tell her?

Jack didn't remember much of what happened next during those fleeting moments, but he did remember when they had said goodbye.

"Well, goodbye and good luck," Sarila said softly before standing up, turning away, and beginning her walk that would prompt her to vanish like she had done earlier to someplace probably spring-like, her bare feet leaving footprints in the snow. Before she could leave, however, Jack found enough strength to push himself up with his good arm into a sitting position halfway.

He was grateful. Without a doubt, he really was. This spri- _Sarila_ -had gone out of her way to help him. He knew that without her, he would probably still be in Burgess alone among other things. How could he not say something to her when they might never run into each other again?

"Thank you."

It came out raspier than he had expected, but it still did the trick as he saw Sarila immediately stiffen, completely stopping her in her tracks. Just when he thought she would stay frozen like that for all eternity, Sarila then turned to him, a warm modest smile on her face as her lively eyes met with his fatigued but grateful ones.

She promptly took hold of the skirt of her dress and curtsied slowly before responding.

"You're welcome."

The winter spirit smiled to which she did the same.

And with that, the spirit they called Sarila turned from him, walked away, and before he could capture a final image of her with his eyes, she evaporated into thin air—no doubt teleporting to whatever location she desired.

Jack sank back into the snowbank, closed his eyes, and let out a content sigh to which he grimaced to afterwards when his lungs experienced a twinge.

As the afternoon shifted into the evening, it took a while before the winter spirit realized his staff was still lying on the ground next to the snowbank he was reclining on. So, Jack carefully reached over to pick it up, and once he did, Wind was immediately in his ear about this and that, but his mind was somewhere else.

 _It was a rather strange occurrence_ , he had thought. _A spring spirit helping a winter one_.

Smiling, the wintry teen shut his tired eyes, letting his weariness engulf him, before relaxing back into his snowy bed and drifting into a deep sleep. ❅❆❅

Presently, as he lounged in the tree that he had decided to sleep in for the night, he thought about these things. About how his sprained arm was feeling better now that it was wrapped in a brace-like fashion. About how Sarila had helped him even though he completely resisted at first because of a thing she had nothing to do with. About how his ribs and bruises still hurt. About how the other spring spirits utterly hated his guts and what they had told him, their words forever stinging his mind. About how he could've avoided it all entirely if he had just migrated already. About how he came back to his lake because he was unsure of what to really do, and it was _his_ home.

He slid his hand down his face as he sighed in discontent. _Why? Why me?_

The winter spirit turned his gaze up to the Moon longingly before closing his eyes after Wind had softly lulled him to sleep, completely unaware of the events that were soon to unfold.

* * *

All was quiet and calm as Jack slept.

Well, that was the case until, on the far side of Jack's lake, where the moonlight could not touch and shadows lived, something began to stir.

From the gloom, a tall sinister figure shrouded in darkness stepped into the light, still managing, however, to somehow avoid the moon's bright rays. Around him, creatures of what seemed to be composed of black sand transformed and morphed into the forms of monstrous horses. Once fully formed, the group of dark, menacing horses began to neigh malignantly, their appearance utterly nightmarish.

The man they were standing next to had an equally nightmarish atmosphere surrounding him, his eerie appearance consisting almost entirely of monochrome with the exception of the eclipse-like irises of his silver-gold eyes. Suddenly, the man shifted his attention from the horses to the Moon and began to speak, a dark smirk on his lips.

"So, this," he gestured to the winter spirit's sleeping form, "is the infamous Jack Frost I've heard so much about. Y'know, rumors really seem to do the trick when it comes to feeding the fear and hate that people have for someone."

The man then laughed knowingly, and with a wave of his hand, signaled the ghastly horses to charge towards the sleeping frost child. The instant that the horses came into contact with Jack, they burst into a swirling, malicious mass over his head, a dark image soon forming in its place, much to the cruel delight of the man. The Moon, on the other hand, seemed to dim as he witnessed the winter spirit's peaceful slumber become plagued with nightmares.

"Don't look at me like that, old friend. You must have known this day would come," the derisive man commented. There was a pause before he spoke again.

"My Nightmares are finally ready. Are your Guardians?"

In the distance, tendrils of golden sand could be seen as they began to glide through the sky and enter the rooms of sleeping children through their windows, filling their slumber with sweet dreams. The nightmarish man sneered slightly in disgust as he narrowed his eyes at the Dreamsand that was slowly approaching. He backed away from it as it floated by him, reaching Jack Frost's sleeping form before turning the black sand of his nightmare into the shimmering golden sand of a dream, the image of children having a snowball fight appearing above his head. The dark figure glared hatefully at the sleeping winter spirit after he smiled contently in his slumber.

"As for Jack Frost," he hissed to the Moon, his voice softening into a mocking tone, "I would turn him against you and the Guardians, but it seems you've already done that for me."

He knowingly smirked at the silent Moon as it dimmed in response before he retreated back into the shadows, leaving only the sound of the Wind howling in distress.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **AHHHHHHHHH! That was a really long chapter, and it took forever to finish, but I really hope you enjoyed it! Did ya see what I did there at the end with the Dreamsand? Guess who Jack is meeting in the next chapter, hehe. As a side note, you might have many questions but don't worry, they'll most likely be answered as the story progresses. Nonetheless, feel free to ask me anything! Also, please let me know if you liked my OCs, specifically Sarila since she will appear again in more detail for a reason that I cannot disclose to anyone, MWHAHAHA! Feel free to give me any type of feedback** — **it's always appreciated! Also, I am busy next week, and I won't have access to my computer so I will not be able to post at all next week and for that I am sorry. Thanks for your support, and until next time, bye!**


	4. A Dangerous Encounter

**A/N:** **I'M ALIVE! Yay! Sorry to keep you guys waiting! Thank you all so much for your support! To better explain the beginning of this chapter, think back to the last one when Pitch released his Nightmares onto Jack, effectively giving him a nightmare in his sleep. Soon after, though, Sandy's Dreamsand entered the picture and came into contact with Jack, turning his nightmare into a dream. And as most of you should recall, that's how the Guardians were trying to find Jack** **—** **with the Dreamsand, which would reveal his location to them. :}**

 **So, without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: A Dangerous Encounter**

Jack knew what this illusion was. In fact, he had experienced it many times before. Despite this, however, that didn't mean that going through it again would make him immune to the despair, agony, and fear that this nightmare caused.

Currently, he knew that he was still asleep, but in his mind, Jack was standing on his lake, looking around as the moonlight glimmered on it. In his hand, there was no staff and for some odd reason, he always wore his old attire in the nightmare, which was an off-white, long-sleeved shirt with a brown vest and a short brown cloak along with the brown trousers and belt that he still wears today. It was odd because this nightmare had only been reoccurring for about 2 weeks now, and he had reluctantly ditched some of his old attire around 1988 when it was almost too tattered to be considered clothing.

The setting of this nightmare was less strange as it took place on his lake, which in real life, _always_ remained frozen in his presence to the point where it would immediately freeze over if the surface was broken. This subconscious action was partially because he was a winter spirit, and they do tend to freeze things, but also because he was afraid. Afraid of exactly what, he would never know for sure; he just felt it had to be frozen just in case something happened.

Above all, though, it wasn't the clothing change or the familiar setting of the nightmare that shook him so. No, like all nightmares, it was the fear that ensued as it continued.

"Hello," he called out, expecting a response from at least someone who happened to be nearby his lake.

Seconds passed and there was nothing—not even the Wind had answered him.

So, the teen tried again, this time more tentative, "Hello?"

When no answer came yet again, Jack stood rigid, his eyes wide as a cold realization hit him square in the face: he was truly _alone._

Hoping that it wasn't true, Jack began walking hurriedly along the inner perimeter of the lake, his eyes frantically searching the surrounding woods to see if anyone was there, his face adopting a distressed expression as he continued to call out.

"Hello!?"

Trees, trees, trees, that's all his eyes found as he grew dizzy from the frantic search, the dreary night sky seemingly collapsing into itself as he continued. Again and again, he repeated the action, his voice snowballing into a more desperate plea each time.

"Is anyone there?! _Please! Someone answer me!_ "

The world was spinning.

There was no stopping it.

 _He was_ alone _in the world._

Finally, the pitiful spirit crumpled to the ground into an anguished weeping mess, wondering why this has happened to him—why was he left alone for 300 years—why did no one like him—why didn't anyone care about him— _why?_

In between sobs, he only breathed that one word. "Why, why, why, why, why…"

 _Why am I cursed to be alone?! Why?_

He directed his icy-blue eyes to the Moon, and his tears froze as they began to roll down his cheeks.

Given the chance, Jack knew that he would accept anyone as a friend. _Anyone_. In fact, he would do almost _anything_ for just a smidge of attention.

But the Moon, he was different. The Moon was his creator, and Jack didn't understand him. When the Moon first raised him up from his lake, he was scared, but then he saw how the Moon had chased all of the darkness away, his fear vanquished. Didn't that mean the Moon cared about him in some small way? If so, why didn't the Moon want a relationship with his own creation? _Maybe,_ Jack thought, _if I beg._

"Please…" The winter child quietly pleaded to the Moon.

"Just talk to me…"

Soon after, a twinge of hope appeared in Jack's cold, lonely heart as the Moon seemed to grow brighter, a promisingly good sign. Unfortunately, however, dark clouds carelessly rolled over the celestial body after a few moments, blotting out its light, and just like a young spring flower that was introduced to his frost, Jack's hopes had shriveled up and died.

Now defeated and utterly hopeless, Jack Frost let his head fall limp into his arms again, tears flowing once more as he trembled. From above, soft flurries began their descent.

After a few moments of silence, just when the winter spirit thought that all he had wanted was someone to talk to, a chorus of familiar voices echoed throughout his desolate home and taunted him, the snowfall growing in intensity with each comment as he curled in on himself.

"Ugh, I see you're _ruining_ our beautiful leaves— _again_."

"Jack, you just have to accept the fact that we as winter spirits are not meant to be as sociable or as likeable as the other seasons. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

" _Jack Frost?_ What is a _worthless_ spirit like you doing in _my_ season? Pfft, I'm surprised you haven't melted away yet. Luckily, I might be able to speed up the process if you don't beat it soon."

The winter spirit held his hands up to his ears in hopes of blocking out the unwanted comments.

It didn't work.

"Don't kid yourself. _Winter_ is the opposite of fun. The sooner you get that through your thick skull, the better."

"Maybe we would be able to have spring early if you would just leave me alone for once, you annoying excuse for a nature spirit!"

He desperately wanted it to stop.

"After we catch you, you're going to wish you would've stayed under that lake, Jack Freakin' Frost!"

"He—is a _nuisance._ A _troublemaker_. A **_mistake_**."

"Oi! What're you doin', ya _bloody monster!_ "

He curled further in on himself.

"Jack Frost is just an expression, sweetheart; he isn't real."

…

Jack didn't know when the obtrusively cruel comments ceased but continued to keep his eyes shut tightly, still holding his hands to his ears as he sat in the same spot on his lake. When all seemed clear, the forlorn spirit tucked his hands to his sides, firmly hugging himself in distress as he took deep breaths, not daring to open his teary eyes for a second after convincing himself that keeping them shut would somehow hide him from further pain and despair.

"Jack!"

Suddenly, the teen jerked his head up, eyes opened wide with confusion and wonder as he abandoned his earlier belief. This voice, this young girl's voice struck him as familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time—almost as if he's heard it before but wasn't sure. From his spot on the lake, he began to look around for the source even if he knew none would appear.

"Jack!..."

There it was again. Jack was perplexed as he tried to figure out where he had heard this voice before. Just then, the disembodied voice of the girl let out a laugh, and he smiled subconsciously after hearing the joyful noise.

During these few seconds, the winter spirit had almost forgotten about the depressing events from earlier. Now, he was entirely engrossed in wondering who the familiar voice belonged to; he just had to know. However, once he got to his feet to speak out to the voice in hopes of knowing who it belonged to, not only did the curious, carefree atmosphere shift, but the girl's happy tone had also changed.

"Jack?"

"Hello?" He replied to the air.

 **Cra-ack**

The wintry spirit would've been more confused at the uncertainty in her voice, but was too focused on the ice beneath him that had suddenly cracked under his weight. He walked away from the spot to avoid the thin ice that should've froze over thickly in his presence, but surprisingly, _hadn't_. The cracks began to follow him, however, and at that point, Jack knew something was very wrong.

"Jack, I'm scared," the now-distressed voice called out.

 ** _CR-CRAAACK-sshhh_**

Jack barely had a second to think of why she would be scared before unexpectedly plummeting into the icy water below. He gasped in shock, filling his lungs with some of the water. Then, before he could reach the surface, it froze over, leaving him trapped.

Scared didn't even describe what he felt like right now; he was _absolutely terrified_.

He pounded desperately against the ice with his fists, hoping to somehow break it, but unfortunately, this action caused a new layer of ice to form every time he came into contact with it. Soon enough, the winter spirit began to cough from the earlier in-take of water, thus causing him to inhale even more. His struggling soon became feeble as he stilled and succumbed to the darkness of the lake, his lungs frozen. He looked up at the Moon as its light refracted through the ice, the scene filling him with a strange sense of déjà vu as he sank further and further to the bottom of the lake, unable to change his fate.

After closing his tired eyes, unwanted images of the frostbitten faces of children began racing through his mind, filling him with dread and self-hate. These children, they were always stiff and pale with frostbite covering their cheeks, fingers, and noses, their expression devoid of life as their glassy eyes stared up at nothing in particular. It always pained him to see children who were once alive have their life taken from them because of something as little and stupid as not wearing enough clothing, getting lost in a blizzard because they wanted to keep playing in the snow, or disobeying their parents when they tell them to go warm up inside. And the worst part was—he couldn't do anything about it but watch as they died.

As the years passed, Jack had just accepted that winter was the season of death. It didn't make it any easier to watch the process happen, though. He blamed himself whenever he came across a freezing child lost in the snow. But, in the end, he knew it wasn't really his fault. Why didn't anyone just believe him?

When Jack opened his eyes in hopes of escaping the horrid imagery trapping his mind, the scenery around him had changed and was now completely different, much to his utter surprise; this scenery change has never happened in the reoccurring nightmare before. Looking around, he knew that he was no longer in the depths of the icy lake—he was currently in a snowy clearing, now walking along a wide path as if nothing had happened—his mood suddenly lighthearted.

Eventually, he stumbled upon a group of children playing in the snow. For some reason, all of them strangely looked familiar. He shook the thought off, though, as he watched most of them participate in a snowball fight while others built snow forts and the like.

So, to join the fun, Jack scooped some snow off the ground and formed a perfect snowball in his hands before blowing on it with his icy breath, turning it a light-blue hue. The wintry teen then promptly took aim at one of the unsuspecting children, a brown-haired boy that was not yet taking part in a snowball fight, and proceeded to throw it at him.

As expected, the snowball hit the boy right in the back of the head, eliciting a surprised "oof" from him. The boy reached his hand up to where the snowball had hit and gave a small laugh, drawing the attention of the other children. Jack smiled as he saw his magic, which sparkled around the boy's brown eyes, come into play, causing the boy to give a huge smile as he looked around at his friends mischievously.

"Okay, who threw that?"

Jack chuckled whilst scooping up some more snow, watching closely with glee as the boy scanned the area for the perpetrator. The winter spirit was just about to throw another snowball when the child looked his way, his gaze seeming like it was directly on him. One by one, the other children did the same.

Confused, Jack looked behind himself, expecting something to be there that would cause such a reaction within the kids, but then a realization hit him hard when the brown-haired boy spoke his next few words.

" _Jack_ , was that _you_?"

…

Jack's heart skipped a beat as he gaped at them with disbelief, his brain trying to process what had just happened.

 _They-they can SEE me?!_

Suddenly, overwhelming happiness and relief flooded his senses—he had to refrain himself from shedding a tear as immense joy engulfed him entirely. His mind raced as he tried to formulate an answer to the boy's— _his first believer's_ —question in his head, the children's faces eager as they waited on his reply.

After what seemed like a millennium, Jack opened his mouth to answer and—

Unfortunately, though, that answer never came as Jack jolted awake from his nightmare-turned-dream, almost falling from his branch during the process. Above him, golden sand that he had come to know as Dreamsand began to disappear as he looked around groggily for the disturbance.

It was still night and Wind was swirling strongly around him as if she wanted to play. After discovering it was just Wind who had woke him, though, the winter spirit rolled his eyes, taking notice that his bruised one still hurt, before closing them again, wishing desperately to return to the wonderful dream that he was having as he shifted back into a comfortable position and tried to ignore her. Wind, however, continued her playful pestering.

"Wind, knock it off," the sleepy teen grumbled as Wind persistently tugged at him.

She didn't stop. By now, Jack was growing irritated. _What is wrong with her?_ He thought heatedly. _Why is she bugging me to play with her right now?_ Wind tugged at him hard one last time before Jack snapped.

He jerked up once more and yelled, "I SAID STOP IT!"

 ** _Crunch_**

Jack immediately straightened at the noise that came from the surrounding forest with Wind stopping nearly at the same time. He now understood what Wind was doing; _she was warning him_.

Granted, the noise could've simply been a forest creature walking through the woods but something was off.

With narrowed blue eyes and stilled breath, the winter spirit surveyed his surroundings from the high vantage point of the tree branch that he had previously been sound asleep on.

Nothing—there was nothing.

Despite this, Jack couldn't help but still feel a little uneasy.

So, with caution, he swiftly jumped down from the branch, Wind catching his fall with ease. Then, he began to walk the perimeter of his lake, holding a defensive stance while he scanned the area.

As he walked softly on the ice, he tapped his staff on the passing trees and foliage, effectively spreading frost, hoping to scare off whatever disturbed him and Wind.

Eventually, when he reached where he had initially started walking, he stopped and waited a moment, listening to hear if there were any other suspicious noises, but he heard nothing.

With a halfhearted sigh of relief, Jack turned his back on the desolate lake, giving Wind a bitter look for scaring him so bad for nothing. "Wind, the next time you want to scare me like that, please don't wake me up from a dream—or more preferably, at all."

As Wind began to pick up again, the frost spirit ignored her while he shuffled back to his tree, slowly stretching out his stiff sprained arm as he did so. Suddenly, however, something whirling had whizzed past his head, causing Jack to recoil in surprise before watching the object lodge itself into the tree's bark. After quickly recovering, he examined the object that had been dangerously close to grazing his head moments before only to find out that it was a _boomerang_.

Instantaneously, loud footsteps and the sound of humming wings sounded behind him, and Jack immediately turned around, his breathing heightening as his eyes widened at the sight before him.

It was the Guardians.

 _The Guardians._

Jack Frost blinked a few times to clear his vision and make sure he wasn't still dreaming—or more appropriately—having another nightmare.

In the moonlight, standing next to his frozen lake, the Guardians of Childhood held a prelude to what seemed to be battle stances. Nicholas St. North's usual jolly expression—from what Jack remembered seeing a few times in the past—was now a furious scowl as he gripped two intimidating sabers, one in each hand. It took him a moment, but Jack also recognized the figure to the left of him as the Sandman, who was currently floating nearby on a cloud of golden sand, his face contorted into a heated look as he tossed a ball of his sand back and forth maliciously. To the left of the little man, was none other than _Bunny_.

Of course.

Jack should've known who that boomerang that nearly took his head off had belonged to at first sight; he had seen it used once before in the Blizzard of '68. The rabbit-kangaroo stood his full height as he held a combative stance, his nostrils flaring with utmost animosity, and his dangerous green eyes piercing daggers through Jack—a look that can only be described as murderous. Jack quickly shifted his gaze to the feathery figure on the other side of the "Not So Jolly St. Nick." The Tooth Fairy, he presumed, was glowering at him with loathing, a small group of similar hummingbird-like mini-fairies around her sharing the same expression.

Only one thought crossed his mind after assessing the current situation: _But what do they want with me?_

Judging by the angry, hateful expressions, and the drawn weapons, Jack knew that is was safe to assume that this was not a friendly little meetup they decided to have with him, and to say the least, he was both confused and intimidated.

Suddenly, as if on cue, Nicholas St. North stepped forward with both swords still drawn and began to speak directly to him in a booming voice.

" _Jack Frost_ , we are here to end you on behalf of all of the children you have murdered. This is the price you must pay for all of the innocence you have destroyed so prepare yourself and pray for mercy for you will receive NONE FROM US!"

Bewildered at what he had just heard spew from the stout Guardian's mouth, Jack furrowed his brow and took a step back, the clouds above beginning to release flurries. To the Guardians, he assumed that this action must've been seen as a sign that he wanted to fight because they charged forward almost immediately afterwards.

Shooting upwards into the air, Jack floated above the approaching, condemning group and was ready to start demanding answers, but was interrupted when something fast and feathery—the Tooth Fairy, he had realized—knocked him out of the moonlit sky.

Landing on the ground with a hard thud and an "oof," Jack barely had enough time to catch his breath before Nicholas St. North began to march towards him, his swords brandishing dangerously close. Eyes wide and heart pounding, the winter spirit scrambled to his feet and turned around to flee only to get a face full of grey fur instead. He quickly directed his ice-blue eyes up to see what he had ran into only to meet with grass-green ones a short moment before being roughly shoved backwards by the tall rabbit.

Jack slammed into the base of a tree, quickly becoming disorientated as his injured ribs twinged in pain. When he looked back up, the Guardians were slowly closing in on him, surrounding the tree as he leaned on it for support; he was faltering slightly from the pain but refrained from cradling his ribs. Hoping to both stall and get some answers, Jack sounded the main question running through his mind, "What are you talking about?! I didn't do anythi—"

"Shut up, ya frosty ratbag!" The Easter Bunny interjected darkly as he advanced closer to the winter spirit who had, in response to the interruption, taken on an indignant expression as they made eye contact. "You know exactly what you've done."

Swiftly, Bunny jumped high into the air, and Jack knew what would happen next before it had even occurred to the others. So, in response, the winter spirit promptly dodged the Easter Bunny's feet just a milli-second before they suddenly smashed into the tree's trunk. As he regained his balance, Jack quickly thrusted his staff towards the large, furious rabbit, ignoring the pain of his sprained arm, and effectively caused a very cold blast of wind to blow in the rabbit's face, gaining a surprised yell in response to the bitingly-cold dose of face freezing that had knocked him off his large feet.

Seeing this, the Tooth Fairy and her small flock of fairies tried to swoop towards the wintry teen in an endeavor to pin him back to the tree, but Jack dodged her attempt and immediately sent the same icy attack to her backside, eliciting a scream of shock from her as she landed hard on the ground, her wings frozen. Her fairies chirped wildly as they went to aid their queen. Briefly, Jack's eyes met with Santa's and the Sandman's as they seemingly stood there in fleeting shock at what he had just done before quickly continuing to advance towards him, their threatening expressions returning.

Without looking back, Jack began to sprint as fast as he could, his feet beating against the ground as he dashed deeper into the forest away from Burgess. He considered flying away, but at this point, he knew he was too weak to fly fast enough, and he didn't want risk a fall in case they caught up. Not far behind him, he could hear various shouts of frustration and annoyance that soon faded into the muffled sounds of nighttime as he disappeared from their sights, weaving through several trees and shrubs as he continued his swift evasion. Panting, the young frost spirit soon came across a creek, stopping once at the edge of the shallow water to hide behind a small tree to think.

 _I can't just keep running like this,_ he thought, _and since they won't listen to reason_ , _I need a place to hide._

In the silence of the night, Jack soon thought of the perfect temporary hiding place. Of course, though, that quiet moment was soon shattered by a yell of indifference from far behind him.

"THERE HE IZ!" A Russian voice roared through the silence, startling Jack out of his thoughts.

The wintry teen swiftly pushed himself off the small tree and ran quickly across the water of the creek, freezing it in his wake as the Guardians followed suit not too far behind.

Risking a glimpse over his shoulder, he only saw Nicholas St. North barreling after him with sabers still in hand as he yelled. The Sandman was not far behind the Russian Guardian as he floated speedily on his golden cloud, though. Meanwhile, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Kangaroo were nowhere in sight, probably still recovering from his ice-attacks.

 _Looks like those two are taken cared of,_ he thought thankfully as he continued to run, _for now, at least._

Soon, the Russian's yelling had disappeared as Jack lost them yet again, now arriving in a moonlit clearing with many barren trees due to the past winter weather. Knowing he didn't have much time, he hid behind the nearest object for cover: a large oak tree known to him as the Oak of Sorrows, a familiar sanctuary to him. The wintry teen was certain that his pursuers would pass by him in a hurry without checking the area. With his back pressed to the large tree, his erratic breathing continued, his heart pounding wildly as he thought of ways to defend himself if they were to find him and do who knows what.

Just then, however, his breathing involuntarily stilled as he heard the sound of footsteps approach. They suddenly softened as if their owners knew he was close by. Just as things couldn't get any worse, the rustle of foliage filled his ears as he heard the Guardians searching through nearby bushes, getting closer and closer to his hiding place.

Jack wasn't sure his heart had ever gone so fast. A twig snapped from what sounded like only a few feet away and he tensed even more—they were so close. He debated on whether he should stay in case they suddenly gave up and began looking somewhere else but he knew that he had to go.

After building up the courage and another ice-attack, Jack bolted from behind the tree and continued to run, surprising his pursuers when he shot an icy blast in every direction from his staff. With a trail of frost now following behind him, he gave a short glance back as he dashed through a thicket to see the Guardians quickly gaining on him with Bunny being the closest, contributing to his anxiety tenfold.

"Get back here, ya bloody killer!"

 _Wow, that's a new one._

Suddenly, something whirled past Jack's head, and he promptly ducked as it—a boomerang, he realized—came back towards him seconds later. Soon after and without warning, a ball of golden sand was hurled in his direction, missing him by just an inch before hitting a nearby tree and dispersing into the air to mix with falling snowflakes.

By now, Jack was growing exhausted; his legs were strained, his sore ribs trembled with every raspy breath, and he just wasn't sure he could take much more running. Somehow noticing this, Wind began to howl vehemently throughout the landscape as she ushered the winter spirit to keep going whilst she slowed down his pursuers with strong gusts. It seemed to work because when Jack gave a quick glance over his shoulder, he watched as the so-called Guardians struggled to keep up as Wind blew against them; all of them shielded their faces as they faltered against the sheer force while both the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy had taken to the ground probably from the fear of being blown away.

Grateful, he called out, "Thanks, Wind!"

In hopes of slowing them down further, Jack laid down some slick ice on the trail with a wave of his staff as he ran a little slower than before. The angered yells of shock that met his ears a few seconds later told him that his endeavor was successful.

"I bloody swear I'm gonna kill 'em myself!"

That one in particular made the wintry teen grin as he continued to look back at his pursuers who were now scrambling to their feet with Bunny specifically having a harder time getting off the slick ice.

 _Take that, ya stupid kangaroo!_

Jack turned forward and just when he had thought he was so close to loosing them again, his grin of triumph vanished as he saw an enormous obstacle in his path.

 _Oh no._

Coming to the end of the trail, Jack slid to a stop, panting with exhaustion as his crystal-blue eyes searched desperately for an escape but did not find one. The wall of rock—almost like a small cliffside—that surrounded the trail seemed to continue forever; he was trapped.

From behind, the sound of heavy footfalls and fluttering wings soon followed his dreadful realization.

" _Frost_ ," Nicholas St. North spat from behind him, his accent thick with animosity. "You have _nowhere_ to run and _nowhere_ to hide. Now, it iz time that you face us."

The winter spirit steadied his breathing and hardened his gaze as he turned to face them.

This was it.

He turned completely, and as expected, the Guardians held the same, if not more threatening, battle stances from before as they slowly closed in on him, their expressions contorted into scowls of utter anger.

Now, as Jack backed away from the supposed figures of childhood surrounding him, he held a defensive stance and waited for them to make their next move.

With his brow furrowed and a dangerous glint in his cold eyes, he practically dared them to.

Just then, though, something unexpected happened.

A ball of mini-fairies frantically rushed to the hummingbird-hybrid they called queen out of nowhere, twittering madly about something seemingly urgent. This immediately distracted the Guardians for a few seconds as they reluctantly turned their attention to the now-distressed Tooth Fairy and her minions.

 _Now's my chance._

This distraction gave Jack the perfect opportunity to slink away and hide from them or at least give him some more time to run before they realized he had disappeared. So, without further delay, the wintry teen looked around for a hiding place and quickly found a hidden crevice in the rocky barrier that looked just about his size—it was perfect. As silent as possible, Jack floated weakly into the hidden opening in the rocky barrier with the help of Wind. There, he settled himself as he tried to calm his breathing, and listened to them as they spoke.

"VHAT?! _Pitch Black?!_ "

"Oi, _what_?!"

"That's what they're saying! Oh, my poor fairies! We need to hurry!"

"But Tooth, we— _aaand_ she's gone."

He listened as the mini-fairies' chittering ceased. Then, the sound of many beating wings disappeared as soon as it came, causing Jack to assume that the Fairy of teeth and her mini-brigade had definitely left, confirming the Easter Kangaroo's comment as true. From where he was, Jack could hear North's groan of irritation perfectly fine as they discovered soon after that he had disappeared from them.

" _AARGH!_ WE _VILL_ BE BACK FOR YOU, JACK FROST!"

…

"I'll take my tunnels."

"Oh, no, no, no, we take sleigh!"

With that, their voices and footsteps started to fade quickly, and Jack let out the biggest sigh of relief he's ever released. The weary teen then slumped further into the hidden crevice, utterly exhausted. As he laid there, body aching, he had no doubt that the injuries he had received from earlier were more inflamed, and he would feel it later when the adrenaline wore off. But none of this mattered to Jack right now. What mattered was that the so-called Guardians were no longer hounding after him for something he never even did and were now gone. For now, at least.

Jack's attention was directed to the Moon as its light entered the crevice he was hiding in. He promptly closed his eyes and relaxed, grateful.

 _Thank the Moon that they had better things to do._

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Yay, I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a review on what you liked, didn't like, or anything! Any questions are also appreciated!** **As a side note, I know most of you are wondering when Jack's suffering will end, and just know that the next chapters will contain very little angst for our favorite winter spirit when compared to recent ones (I cannot say the same for later chapters, though, mwhahaha). Of course, in the end, though, it will get better for him. Also, expect to see the owners of those voices from Jack's nightmare (some of which you've already seen), in later chapters (some through flashbacks). Next chapter will revolve around the Guardians' perspective of what happened in this chapter along with other things that will ultimately reveal that they do need help with getting rid of a bigger threat (*cough* *cough* Pitch *cough* Black *cough*), and the help that they need is from someone they would never expect. :} Well, that's all for now! Thanks for your amazing support, and until next time, bye!**


	5. The Cold-blooded Confrontation

**A/N: ****Hey! Welcome back! Thank you all so much for your continuous support! I was initially going to add more to this chapter (that's kind of why it took so long for me to update), but I eventually decided to just put what I wanted to add in the next chapter since it would take longer to update if I did otherwise. Anyways, this chapter is what happened in the last one but through the Guardians' perspective!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Cold-blooded Confrontation**

"We need to be very quiet," Nicholas St. North whispered to the other Guardians as they quietly navigated through the moonlit forest of Burgess, Pennsylvania. "Surprise element is very important," he assured them confidently.

"North," Bunny, who was following behind the Guardian of Wonder while carefully watching his own steps to avoid snapping twigs and crunching leaves, whispered in a correcting tone, "it's _element of surprise_ , not 'surprise element,' mate. Besides, how do we even know that this isn't a trap; he could be using some type of magic that makes us think he's asleep—I mean, for all we know, he could be spyin' on us right now!"

North glanced nonchalantly over his shoulder at the paranoid Pooka before shaking his head and mumbling something under his breath that only Bunny could hear, "Why are rabbits always so nervous?"

At this, Bunny's ears perked, and he indignantly confronted the Russian in a voice just above a whisper, " _What was that, ya Christmas fruit loop?_ "

"Bunny." North replied at the same sound level as Bunny before looking over his shoulder to reveal a jolly smirk. "You know I only kid. Besides, Frost is definitely asleep. No need to vorry."

"Well—"

" _Boys_ , shhh," hushed Toothiana, who was walking in front of North and behind Sandy. Instantaneously, her mini-fairies did the same, shushing the two bickering Guardians, as they quietly hovered beside her. In response, the Guardians of Hope and Wonder somewhat complied as they continued to follow Toothiana and Sandy through the chilly forest.

In front of the group—the thing that they were actually following—was a long string of Dreamsand that was supposedly connected to a _sleeping_ Jack Frost; Sandy had finally made a connection with the winter spirit while they were flying in Burgess above the same forest that they were currently scouring now. If this really was where Jack Frost was sleeping, his generic location wasn't really a shock since they all knew that nature spirits tended to dwell in natural landscapes as opposed to manmade ones. No, what really surprised them was that this forest was the same one that Jamie Bennett was said to have almost drowned no thanks to the frosty killer himself. Admittedly, it made them curious on why the cruel winter spirit seemingly frequented the area.

Shortly after listening to Aster's speculation, the Sandman was left wondering himself if Jack Frost _was_ using some foreign magic that would allow him to think that the winter spirit in question was asleep. It wasn't that Sandy was paranoid, no, really not that at all. It was just that whenever his Dreamsand had made its connection with the sleeping spirit of winter, something felt off. It was like a darkness had been lifted or removed. He had sparsely encountered the same feeling before only a few times in the past two or so weeks, and he really had thought nothing of it until now. The reason being was that he had thought it strange that the same feeling occurred when his sand came into contact with the despicable spirit that they sought to eradicate.

Abruptly, a cold wind whipped through the area of forest they were in, causing all of them to shiver slightly.

"We have to be close," Tooth quietly noted. With each wary step they took, the wind grew both stronger and louder, and even without knowing for certain, her intuition told her that it meant that Frost couldn't be too far. She had to admit, the effect itself really added to the eerie atmosphere of the blue-tinted forest as barren trees cast looming shadows caused by Manny's light above while the crisp cold nipped at their skin.

"No kiddin'," Bunny whispered from the back of the line, a hint of shiver in his voice. "It's gettin' colder by the second no thanks to this wind."

As if on cue, the wind kicked up, and before they knew what was happening, the string of Dreamsand that they were following faded and disappeared while restless breezes frantically tossed the particles away.

Instantaneously, the Guardians froze in their tracks as they watched their only connection to Jack Frost become carried off by the strong wind. This, they knew, could only mean one thing: _he was awake_ ; the cold-hearted murderer that they were searching for was awake, and they had lost the _only_ thing that they had that would lead them directly to him.

They all slowly turned to each other, their shocked faces sharing the same look of wide-eyed consternation before Bunny unceremoniously broke the silence with a harsh whisper.

"I told ya gumbies that it was a trap."

Tooth and her fairies gave each other looks of uncertainty while North stood upright at the comment and promptly turned towards the pessimistic Pooka. "Hehe, Bunny. I'm sure that it's not trap and Jack is still nearby, no? We vill find him soon, _right_ Sandy?"

The Guardian in question, who initially had a mixed look of shock and uncertainty, recovered with a confident expression as he signed a check mark (✓) and then gave the group a reassuring thumbs-up before continuing forward in the direction that the Dreamsand had previously been pointing them.

North continued the conversation with Bunny over his shoulder as they all followed close behind Sandy, "See? No vorries, we vill find him."

"Or he'll find us," Bunny quipped, eliciting Tooth and her mini-fairies to turn and give him a chiding look. In his defense, the somewhat wide-eyed Pooka just held up his paws and muttered, " _What?_ Just saying…"

With that, the Guardians of Childhood continued their search through the forest, hoping that Manny would somehow help guide the way. Eventually, they were just passing by a frozen lake (one that they hoped was not the same one that Jamie had almost drowned in) when their ears heard an angry voice yell in the distance.

"I SAID STOP IT!"

They all tensed, and somehow, North accidentally managed to snap a stick underneath his large, heavy boot.

 ** _Crunch_**

After flinching at how loud the noise was, they completely froze, their eyes scanning the surrounding area for the voice's source, knowing full well that it had to belong to none other than the wicked spirit they were looking for as no sane human would be out in the cold forest during this time of night.

And that's when E. Aster Bunnymund spotted _him_.

On the other side of the frozen lake, lounging on a lone tree branch was the callous winter spirit that had caused the world so much trouble. The very sight of the spirit made the Pooka want to rip him to shreds, and his eyes narrowed with a sense of vengeance as his mind put the thought into its mouth, chewed vigorously for a few seconds, and then swallowed. Quickly and quietly, Bunny moved his head pointedly to draw the other Guardians' attention before slowly pointing towards the icy devil's location.

The others' eyes followed to where his finger pointed, and for the first time, they caught actual sight of _Jack Frost_. Indeed, he definitely fit Aster's earlier description, his innocent guise making him look like a 16 or 17 year old young man. Aside from his winter spirit features, though, the three other Guardians had to admit that Jack had a pretty good disguise, and if they didn't know any better, they would assume that the innocent glint in his bright blue eyes along with the teenage façade he had taken on was real—he was even wearing a hoodie, a clothing item that was popular for kids these days— _but they knew better_ ; this disguise would not fool them to go easy on him. This was still the same spirit that had _murdered_ both children and adults alike. He was a monster, and like all monsters, they had to be slain.

With narrowed eyes, they quietly watched him jump down from the branch, an invisible force catching him before his pale feet hit the ground. The winter spirit then proceeded to walk alongside the perimeter of the frozen lake with a defensive stance, a shepherd's crook-like staff gripped in his colorless hands. He began to touch the surrounding foliage with the staff causing frost to spread as he presumably searched the area for what caused the loud crunch from earlier.

The Guardians exchanged brief glances of worry for they wished not to be seen by the malicious spirit until they revealed themselves. Luckily, though, the Guardians were out of sight from him as they were somewhat hidden behind conveniently-placed foliage and a little farther back in the forest for him to notice. It was at this time that they saw his blackened eye and his cut lip, giving them the delightful impression that he had recently started something with some other spirits and had _lost_.

With a small sigh, Frost eventually gave up on his search and turned his back to the frozen lake before curiously giving the air a bitter look and mumbling about something their ears were unable to clearly pick up as he made his way back to the tree that he initially was lounging in. At that point, the Guardians shared knowing glances of determination as they prepared to reveal themselves to the wintry demon. So, Aster readied his boomerang and gave the others a countdown on his fingers on when he was going to throw it.

 _Three_. E. Aster Bunnymund formed his green eyes into slits as he took aim for the winter spirit's head.

 _Two_. Bunny steadied himself and slowed his breathing as he focused while the others prepared themselves to burst through the foliage and approach the winter spirit.

 _One_. Bunny took one last look at his target…

The Pooka swiftly threw the boomerang at his mark, but unfortunately missed as it veered towards the left slightly (no thanks to the wind), thus lodging it into the tree that Frost was originally walking to. In the same instant, they all charged out of the forest towards the startled winter spirit, adopting baleful expressions and fighting stances as they slowed to a stop at least 20 feet in front of him as he turned around, his staring blue eyes wide with shock and on the verge of disbelief.

For a moment, they were unsure if the spirit before them even knew what was going on, but without further delay, North stepped forward, twin sabers in hand, before delivering the last message that the cold-hearted murderer in question would ever hear: " _Jack Frost_ , we are here to end you on behalf of all of the children you have murdered. This is the price you must pay for all of the innocence you have destroyed so prepare yourself and pray for mercy for you will receive NONE FROM US!"

In response, Frost's young face twisted into an expression of perplexity while he took an unsure step back, fueling their anger towards him even further; _how dare_ he act like he didn't know what North was talking about—to act _so clueless_ in their presence about _everything_ that he's done.

Without a second thought, the Guardians of Childhood charged forward, ready to deliver their sentence, but were slightly surprised when the icy devil shot into the now flurry-laced air above them, the bitingly-cold wind nipping at their skin (both weather phenomenon they knew to be caused by him). Almost immediately, Tooth and her mini-fairies flitted towards him like a living bullet and promptly knocked him out of the sky.

When the wicked herald of winter landed on the ground with a hard thud, North took it upon himself to approach him, flourishing his swords threateningly as he got closer and closer to him all the while smiling with dark satisfaction when the frost spirit scrambled to his feet and tried to run away. Fortunately, Bunny stepped in Frost's path just in time for him to bump clumsily into the Pooka. After looking down in disgust and anger at the cold spirit, the Easter Bunny shoved him backwards and watched as he slammed into a tree. The bloody little frost spirit _was not_ going to play run away games with them and get away with what he's done.

Sandy and Tooth gladly joined the other Guardians as they began to surround the now very nervous-looking Jack Frost who was currently leaning weakly against the tree. His disheveled silvery-white hair and wide, fatigued icy-blue eyes in addition to his chest slightly bobbing up and down almost erratically made his act look convincing, and the Guardians almost backed down for a split second before forgetting the urge and continuing forward with more determination.

This was it.

They were about to _kill_ _him_.

It would be quick; a slash of the sword or a kick to the head would do the job but the point standing was that they were about to rid the world of the cold, cruel, and terrible wintry being known as Jack Frost _forever_.

 _Suddenly_ , though, Jack Frost spoke out, his voice slightly hoarse with what seemed like actual fearful confusion as he did so, "What are you talking about?! I didn't do anythi—"

"Shut up, ya frosty ratbag!" Aster interjected darkly, ignoring the winter spirit's indignant look that came after as his green eyes stared daggers through him. _Enough_ with the innocent act. Bunny pressed forward. "You know exactly what you've done."

With that, the large rabbit leaped into the air and aimed his feet for the spirit of winter that was still leaning weakly against the tree. However, just before his large feet slammed into his intended target, the blasted frost devil moved out of the way, leaving Aster to plunge his feet into the tree's trunk instead. A second later, when Bunny landed his feet firmly back onto the ground, he turned to see the end of a wooden staff directed at his face a split second before being blinded by biting cold which was enough for him to emit a yell of shock.

"GAH!"

The disoriented Pooka immediately stumbled backwards only to land hard on the ground, gripping at his frozen face that was quickly becoming numb. Through gritted teeth, he cursed a certain icy devil.

* * *

"I bloody swear I'm gonna kill 'em myself!" E. Aster Bunnymund seethed as he struggled to get to his feet without slipping on the ice beneath him again. They had been chasing him for a while now, and the grin on the blasted winter spirit's face as he evaded the Guardians yet again caused anger to boil within the Australian. No, not just boil.

 _Overflow_.

Jack Frost had proven to be very troublesome to catch, much to the Guardians' utter displeasure. They had clearly underestimated his determination and endurance even when they somewhat expected it from the rumors that they'd heard about him. From face and wing freezing, strong gusts of fierce wind that nearly knocked them over, and the forming of ice on the ground out of thin air, it seemed that Frost had a trick up his sleeve every time they were so close to cornering him.

 _But now,_ the game of chase had just switched into their favor. Currently, as they ran after the callous cold spirit, they noticed a large wall of rock jutting out of the earth in the distance in front of him—a dead end where he would have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide considering he seemed too exhausted to just fly away like he tried to do in the beginning.

So, they watched as the wintry miscreant skidded to a full stop a few feet before the rocky barrier, pacing as he looked frantically for an escape route. A moment later, they stopped a few feet behind him, their expressions representing their utter animosity towards him as they bored holes into his slender back because, at this point, they were seriously considering extending the troublesome spirit's style of execution.

North was the first to speak as he along with his fellow Guardians assumed the same, if not more threatening, battle stances from earlier. " _Frost_ ," he spat. "You have _nowhere_ to run and _nowhere_ to hide. Now, it iz time that you face us."

As they slowly cornered him, the Guardians noticed that the winter spirit had steadied his breathing before fully turning to reveal a hardened expression on his face that glared back at them almost defiantly while he held up his staff in defense. Truth be told, they thought that the spirit before them looked both battered and exhausted, which was what they intended, but the dangerous glint in his cold eyes was enough to make them wonder if he still had one last trick up his sleeve.

Silence consumed the atmosphere as they pressed further towards Frost, surrounding him as he backed away with each step they took all the while without breaking eye contact.

However, out of nowhere, frantic twittering sliced into the silence as a swarm of mini-fairies flitted to Tooth in a matter of seconds while chittering in a language that only she could fluently understand. For a moment, the other three Guardians tried to act unbothered by the sudden interruption as they advanced closer towards Jack Frost. However, their attention was eventually, albeit reluctantly, pulled when the fairies' twittering didn't cease, and Tooth took on a rather worried expression as she listened to them intently. Besides, they weren't really too worried to turn their backs on Jack Frost considering he was both exhausted and trapped.

"Toothy, what iz so important that your fairies had to interrupt _?_ " North inquired in a whisper as not to let the nearby winter spirit hear, his thick brows furrowed in irritation. Both Bunny and Sandy also looked equally irritated as they waited for her answer.

But, after a moment, they were unsure if she had even heard what North had said or if she had just ignored him as she continued to listen to her fairies' squeaks and tweets of distress. Then, as if she was in a daze, Toothiana straightened, and as some of her iridescent feathers involuntarily began to bristle, her sweet face twisted into a wide-eyed expression of apprehension before she completely froze. The other Guardians exchanged glances of uncertainty and before they could ask what was wrong, only two barely-audible words escaped the Tooth Fairy's mouth: " _Pitch Black_."

"VHAT?! _Pitch Black?!_ " North boomed in uncertainty, wondering if he had heard the Sister of Flight correctly.

In the same instant, Sandy quickly began making images out of his Dreamsand to convey his shocked thoughts while Bunny's ears immediately stood up in alarm at the name. "Oi, _what_?!"

"That's what they're saying!" Tooth hurriedly zipped into the air to meet with her mini-fairies only to look back down at the other Guardians and exclaim, "Oh, my poor fairies! We need to hurry!"

"But Tooth, we— _aaand_ she's gone."

And just as things seemingly couldn't get any worse, the three remaining Guardians turned around only to discover that Jack Frost had somehow vanished, and a roar of utter anger and irritation boomed from North's throat.

" _AARGH!_ WE _VILL_ BE BACK FOR YOU, JACK FROST!"

Simultaneously, Bunny tightly shut his eyes and furrowed his brows as he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, releasing a sigh of mute vexation while Sandy fumed silently at the infuriating discovery. The next time that they crossed paths with Mother Nature's mistake, the Guardians would be more prepared, and they each silently vowed that they would obliterate the despicable spirit in their own way. But now, they supposedly had bigger fish to fry.

With that thought in mind, they composed themselves before exchanging knowing glances. They knew that they needed to meet and assist Tooth at her palace, and as North and Sandy began making their way back in the direction that they had originally come from (or more specifically, the direction that North's sleigh was in), Bunny swiveled on the balls of his large feet and started to stride in the opposite direction. "I'll take my tunnels."

However, before the Pooka could take another step, Nicholas St. North grabbed him and pulled him in their direction. "Oh, no, no, no, we take sleigh!"

As expected, Bunny complied, albeit reluctantly, with a quiet groan of irritation. While they walked, he glanced over his shoulder to the last place that they saw Jack Frost before he had disappeared from his spot on the rocky wall. A small chill then ran up the Guardian of Hope's spine after his keen ears picked up a nearly nonexistent sigh like a whisper of the wind in the distance. And when he turned his head to face forward, he could've sworn he saw something small and iridescent flit out of view from the corner of his eye but really thought nothing of it as he picked up his pace, hoping to forget everything that had happened with the bloody frost spirit and leave the area as soon as possible.

The walk back to the sleigh was brisk and a lot faster than the initial journey from it. After they settled into the sleigh (with some more reluctant to do so than others), North cracked the reins and the reindeer began their ascending stride into the flurry-filled, moonlit sky.

Surprisingly, as he gripped the sides of the sleigh, the Guardian of Hope didn't seem too bothered by the flying or the cold like usual. That was mostly because Aster was lost in thought, and a lot of questions were running through his mind with most revolving around the Nightmare King himself. The same spirit of fear who so cruelly wiped out the Pooka's entire kind was the same to weaken and go into hiding with the new era of Hope, Wonder, Memories, and Dreams that the Guardians had brought. So, it was understandable, at least he thought, to question the validity of his supposed reappearance.

"Do you really think its Pitch?" Aster started, his accent thick with slight incredulity. "I mean, he went out with the dark ages—we made sure of that—so how's it possible for him to just show up and start wreaking havoc? The last I heard of 'im, he was still hidin' under beds."

From the front seat, North shrugged before answering over his shoulder, "Don't know. But we cannot just ignore what Tooth had relayed to us. Plus, I'm sure Toothy and her fairies were possibly… _exaggerating_."

The fact that the Guardian of Wonder had said the last part with less confidence filled the Guardian of Hope with uncertainty. Aster then exchanged a glance with Sandy before watching him shrug as well.

The question that still remained was that if the shadow sneakin' ratbag really has attacked the Tooth Palace, how had he gained enough power to do so?

It just didn't make any sense, and with Easter being so close, it involuntarily left E. Aster Bunnymund with knots in his stomach.

Pitch Black had been defeated, and his Fear had been replaced with their Hope, Wonder, Memories, and Dreams. But still…

Although it was true that Pitch Black did go out with the dark ages, Fear was and forever would be a part of the world no matter how much anyone tried to get rid of it. Admittingly, it was a part of life. It was just the way that the Nightmare King wanted to administer it, though, that made the Guardians want to protect children from it.

Eventually, as the Guardian of Hope does, Bunny shifted his mind and began to look on the bright side of things; if they had defeated Pitch once before, they could definitely do it again if needed. To express this, he assured the two other Guardians in the sleigh that "Even if it is him, we'll kick his tail right back into the shadows like last time!"

At the Pooka's comment, Sandy smiled and North gave a laugh that signaled his approval as he pulled a snow globe from his heavy coat.

"Da, it vill be piece of pastry!"

The large rabbit rolled his eyes at the wrongness of North's statement. He refrained from correcting the Russian, though, as he watched him whisper into the snow globe and then throw it far in front of the sleigh, opening a portal to what he remembered to be the Tooth Palace.

And as they entered the opening, the Easter Bunny could not shake the uneasy feeling that he would soon eat his own words.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, questions, anything! Any type of feedback is always appreciated! Next chapter will cover how Jack is holding up in the aftermath of his encounter with the Guardians, and the Guardians' encounter with Pitch at the Tooth Palace that makes them realize that they may need more help than they thought. Expect some familiar characters from the movie to be introduced! Anyways, thank you so much for your support, and until next time, bye!**


	6. Unexpected Happenings

**A/N** **: Hey, welcome back! I'm so glad to finally share Chapter 6 with you all! Also, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a while, I was getting used to the way school worked again, haha. Nonetheless, thanks for your amazing support while I was gone! Anyway, as a quick refresher, the last chapter ended with North, Sandy, and Bunny going through the portal to the Tooth Palace to help aid Tooth and fight back whatever was attacking the palace.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Unexpected Happenings**

It was like nothing they've ever seen.

Shortly after exiting the portal to the Tooth Palace, the oncoming swarm of dark mass that stood out menacingly against the bright morning sky was more than enough to strike a twinge of fearful confusion into the hearts of the three Guardians sitting in North's sleigh. While Bunny and Sandy avoided the dark forms that came crashing next to them, North pulled hard on the reigns of the sleigh, rapidly causing it to veer left and right as he tried his best to dodge the strange creatures. The fact that the dark masses morphed into the forms of shadowy horses the closer they got to the Tooth Palace did not help.

"Vhat are they?!" Was the question that erupted from North's mouth. None of them had ever seen such beasts, and if Pitch was behind this, he definitely had a card up his sleeve. Their eyes widened as they continued to witness the maelstrom around them continue to unfold.

And, to say the least, it was _utter chaos_.

Everywhere, these nightmarish horses galloped and neighed through the skies around Punjam Hy Loo, dozens of terrified mini-fairies chittering as they desperately tried to flee from them. The unlucky ones that weren't fast enough to escape their shadowy pursuers were eaten up and visibly trapped in the bony bellies of the monsters.

"Whoa!" Bunny exclaimed as both he and Sandy ducked from one of the creatures that darted past overhead. The Pooka's keen ears began to perk and twitch every which way at the frantic twittering of the distressed, trapped fairies, and through the creatures' loud whinnying, he attempted to somewhat answer North's question, "I dunno, mate, but they're takin' the fairies!"

Midst the turmoil, the Guardian of Wonder managed to pull through and steer the sleigh into one of the many gaping entrances of the Palace while still trying his best to avoid the oncoming creatures. However, without warning, one of the monsters slammed into the side of the sleigh, jarring the passengers while the monster itself exploded into a mass of black powder, causing particles to disperse everywhere and something to clatter at Aster's feet. Letting his arm drop from shielding his face, the Pooka leaned slightly forward to what had made the noise, and upon picking the object up, his emerald green eyes widened as the unsettling realization sank in.

Gripped in his paw was a young boy's tooth container.

Aster hastily directed his gaze to the tooth columns that zoomed past only to find that they all looked empty; these creatures–these _things_ –were not only stealing fairies, they were also stealing _children's memories_. Through his daze, Aster alerted the others of his unsettling discovery, "They-they're stealin' the teeth!"

From the corner of his eye, he noticed North immediately tense, and after turning around, he saw Sandy give him a look of worry. The little man then directed his attention to the palm of his golden hand where he held the powdery remnants of the downed creature as it shifted almost as if it was still breathing. Upon closer examination, it was actually sand, and aside from its color, it seemed to bear a strong semblance to Sandy's Dreamsand.

The Guardian of Hope felt his nerves knot further as he realized what the Guardian of Dreams was suggesting: this sand belonged to him; how was it that these creatures were even moving when Sandy was the only one known to have power over sand? Both Aster and Sandy exchanged a look of concern before being jerked forward as one of the creatures crashed into the sleigh once again.

North fervently tried to take control of the reins again as the sleigh began to swerve through the air, the reindeer frantic with panic whilst the passengers were tossed every which way. Finally, once the Russian finally did take control of the reins, it was, unfortunately, already too late; they were heading straight for a pillar.

"Hold on!" North yelled out through the chaos, pulling the reins hard to the right in hopes of veering the sleigh to avoid the pillar, but to no avail.

They all braced themselves.

The sleigh clipped the pillar and was abruptly sent plummeting down onto a platform below, jostling its three passengers during the process while the reindeer somewhat regained control. After what seemed like an eternity, the sleigh finally skidded to a rough stop before nearly toppling over the platform's edge. After a strenuous moment of shock, the three Guardians hazily looked around only to find that the shadowy creatures began to retreat from the palace, whinnying darkly in triumph as pillaged fairies trembled and stolen teeth clinked. And other than what had just happened, something seemed terribly off about the usually lively palace.

It was desolate.

A whirring sound was the only thing that seemed to pull them from their unfocused senses as Tooth flitted into view above them, her expression full of distress as she looked around frantically for things that could no longer be found.

Seeing this from the crashed sleigh, North called out, "Tooth! Are you alright?"

"They, they took my fairies! A-and the teeth! All of them! Everything is gone!" The Tooth Fairy landed nearby, her shimmering wings dropped in immense defeat as the devastating realization hit her.

" _Everything…_ "

The three Guardians hastily stumbled from the sleigh and rushed to her side, hoping to somewhat console her. What the Guardian of Memories had said was true; everything had been taken. The creatures had left the palace in desolate disarray, with no fairies, no teeth, _nothing_. If Pitch Black was truly behind this, he would pay _dearly_. But, now, they could only stand in silence at the truly devastating loss.

However, an unnervingly calm voice shook them from their thoughts as it echoed insidiously throughout the open palace.

"I have to say, this is very, _very_ exciting."

Looking up to a higher platform, they saw none other than Pitch Black himself, a satisfied smile carved onto his face as he skulked in the shadow of a pillar. In response, the Guardians tensed with lividness as they stared up at the shadowy form of the Nightmare King. After all these years, Pitch Black had returned.

"The Big Four, all in one place. I'm a little star-struck." He mused and then paused, his jagged-tooth grin widening as he leered down at the Guardian of Wonder. "Did you like my little trick involving Jack Frost, North?"

As he glared at Pitch with both brows furrowed in thought, North considered the meaning of his sentence before the realization hit him hard.

It was a distraction; the entire hunt for Jack Frost was just a distraction.

The feeling in his belly that normally acted as a sixth sense was hijacked by emphasized fear brought on by Pitch. In that moment, Nicholas St. North silently cursed himself while the others around him shifted a little when they realized the same thing. Meanwhile, the shadowy man situated on the platform above them continued.

"Got you all together, didn't I? Why, he's such a great friend of mine."

Before Pitch could say another word, a furious Tooth abruptly took to the air and darted after him, but he disappeared into the shadows with a dark laugh before she could even touch him.

"Pitch," she roared, "you have got thirty seconds to return my fairies!"

"Or what?" His haunting voice echoed threateningly, and the Guardians watched from the platform below as Tooth followed its source only to find Pitch slinking around a tooth box column, a smug grin cracked on his face as he looked down at her uneasy but determined form. "You'll stick a quarter under my pillow?"

Before Tooth could reply, North quickly intervened, "Vhy are you doing this?"

He knew why; they all did. But really, the Guardian of Wonder had never fully understood Pitch's ways and was one of the few that was willing to reach out to him if he were willing to change for good. Now, however, the chances seemed as slim as ever.

Pitch immediately sneered at the question as if the answer was obvious. How dare the Man in the Moon replace his delicious fear with their horrid wonder and light! After hiding under beds and struggling for so _very_ long, he was so _very_ tired of the world that _they_ had changed. " _Maybe_ I want what you have…To be _believed_ in."

They watched with loathing as Pitch moved into a shadow and disappeared again only to reappear and emerge from behind a different column, his expression bitter and full of resentment as he continued, one of the nightmarish creatures coming to rest by his side.

The Guardians of Hope, Wonder, Memories, and Dreams knew that in the past, Pitch played games, but this time, he wasn't playing.

* * *

 ** _5 Days until Easter_**

"And to think," Jack thought aloud, incredulity lacing his words, "children actually believe in _them!_ "

Wind whirled around him fervently as if nodding in agreement.

It was true, she thought, that it definitely was a disturbing shock that _anyone_ actually believed in the Guardians of Childhood after what they had put her best friend through. They both knew that most spirits disliked him, but in all of her eternal existence, she would've never guessed that they of all people would try to kill him, but when she saw them searching over Québec and heard their words of distaste, she knew that she had to keep a vigilant watch over him while he slept.

And now, as Jack slowly made his way through the forest of Burgess, his cold thoughts continuing to brew, it was no longer dark, and the morning sun shone down on the recently snow-laced landscape surrounding him.

Ever since his _lovely_ encounter with the so-called Guardians of Childhood a few hours ago, the winter child didn't feel so bothered by the warmth of spring anymore. That was mainly because of the flurry he had unintentionally caused during the nerve-racking ordeal (sometimes his emotions got the best of him). And although he relished the refreshingly cold air against his pale skin and the snow that welcomed his sore beaten feet, Jack admittedly wished that the weather wouldn't have reflected his distress because about 4½ inches (11.43 cm) of snow in this area during the beginning of April was definitely enough to get his tail kicked into next winter; in fact, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that some spring spirits were already looking for him.

He shrugged, a small smile forming. _At least the kids got a snow day._

A moment later, as he cautiously hopped onto a fallen tree and walked along its length, staff in hand, the smile disappeared.

Either way, though, he had no intention to stay so the spirits of spring could give him another piece of their mind again.

Coming to the end of the fallen tree, Jack carefully stepped off but stiffened when a sharp pain shot through his sprained arm which he held closer in response. Unfortunately, the bandage that Sarila had wrapped around his arm in a brace-like fashion had loosened immensely during the whole ordeal with the Guardians, leaving his arm free to move dangerously without limitation. So, Jack attempted to make sure that his arm didn't absorb as much shock as the rest of his body, especially when stepping or jumping off of things; it didn't really seem to help.

He relaxed slowly and sighed, slipping the hand belonging to the sprained arm into the front pocket of his hoodie to rest.

Of course, his arm wasn't the only thing that had been affected by being hounded down by the Guardians.

Ever since the adrenaline of the chase wore off, his body threatened to collapse completely. In fact, he would even dare say that it felt worse than after the spring spirits took their anger out on him. His legs felt like falling off, his back muscles were twitching restlessly with a dull ache, and his ribs rattled slightly with each pained breath he took (and he silently regretted not telling Sarila about the injury earlier when he had the chance). Anything not mentioned had at least a deep, dull ache. In short, his body had been pushed way past its limit.

But it wasn't really the physical aspect that made him want to cry out.

It was the fact that no one really cared.

Other than Wind and Sarila, the kind spring spirit that he might as well may never see again, it seemed that no one cared about him.

No one.

Alas, Jack pushed on.

Besides, it has been this way for about three hundred years.

He doesn't _need_ anyone, his mind repeatedly told him.

 _But_ , his heart constantly reminded him otherwise.

Physical and emotional injuries aside, though, he knew that he would have to migrate somewhere north to stay for the seasons very soon.

As he continued to make his way through the rather silent, white forest, the wintry teen had so many questions running through his mind. He was angry, he was sad, and he was confused mostly because the Guardians could've at least tried to talk to him about whatever he did wrong instead of trying to straight up murder him. Overall, though, they just wanted him dead like everyone else, and that was a fact that he couldn't deny. What he didn't know was their true reasoning behind it.

 _Why?_

Seems to be a question he asked a lot.

Maybe it was because he always tried to break into North's Workshop.

 _No,_ he shook his head. _If that had been the case, it would've just been Ol' St. Nick who would have bothered to come and kill me. Plus, that would've happened a long time ago if he was so bothered by it._ Truth be told, Jack doubted that Phil had ever even told the big man about his endeavors to break in, but shuddered when he pondered the outcome of when the Santa man eventually found out. At that moment, Jack vowed to never go near his workshop again.

 _And what was all of that crap about killing children?!_

Never in his long life had he attempted to kill someone. _Well…_ not on purpose, anyway; being a spirit of winter meant heralding a season not known for its favorable or safe conditions so it was very easy for accidents to happen.

Really, for both parties involved, it was just a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. For people, it was something as simple as walking on a patch of ice, slipping, and then landing the wrong way. For him, it was while he witnessed the terrible event that he was being watched by another spirit, who, in turn, would start a rumor that pinned him as the cause of the person's death even when he denied it and tried to explain himself. He was never given a chance. In the end, though, it didn't really matter what Jack argued, winter would still be seen as nothing more but a season of death and him as one of the heralds of it. If that was the true reason that the Guardians wanted the kill him, though, they were sorely mistaken just as everyone else was about him.

Just when he had thought he could no longer produce a seemingly valid reason as to why the Guardians would try to kill him, a forgotten notion sprung up from the dark, forsaken corner of his mind.

 _Wh_ _ₐ_ _t_ _ₐ_ _b_ _ₒᵤt_ _₁₉₆₈_ _?_

Jack stopped dead in his tracks, the temperature around him plummeting dangerously.

He closed his icy-blue eyes and inhaled the crisp air, careful not to take in too much lest he wanted his ribs to protest and elicit a coughing fit. In an attempt to recollect himself, he tried to banish the dreadful thought that elicited both hatred and self-pity–two things he didn't have time for, let alone the nerves; he needn't dwell on that anyway, it wasn't his fault.

It was only until Wind brushed past him that he realized how long he'd been standing there. The wintry teen sighed before continuing forward onto the forest trail, the snow cushioning his bare, beaten feet as he reassured his companion, "Sorry, Wind. I was just…thinking…"

The Wind swayed around him soothingly, and he smiled appreciatively at her.

After a few moments, Jack's weary mind drifted to what was left of the dream (which he speculated was how they had found him in the first place–with the Sandman's golden sand that he'd heard could track anything it touches) he had before it was cruelly interrupted by the ensuing nightmare with the Guardians. Indeed, after the whole ordeal, most of his dream was all but forgotten; what he did remember, however, was like a dream of a dream, distant and dim while still leaving a faint wondrous, warmth that set his heart aglow. He remembered the remnants of children's smiles, snowball fights, and _fun._

Speaking of which, just then, he heard children talking in the distance. Thinking that he might as well should eavesdrop closer since they couldn't see him anyway, Jack smiled and gravitated towards the source, which was at the edge of the forest where four familiar children conversed.

A boy's voice rang out as he approached. "I was reading about the history of Burgess last night and—"

"Ha! Nerd!" A different boy, one wearing a green jersey, interrupted.

Unbeknownst to them, Jack smiled at the teasing remark as he walked alongside the familiar group, his staff on his shoulder. He had played with this group of kids many times in Burgess during snowball fights. Currently, if he remembered correctly, there was Pippa, a cheery girl with short reddish-brown hair and brown eyes, Claude and Caleb, rambunctious twins that usually teased themselves as well as others, and the boy who was talking about the history of Burgess was named Monty.

"No, I found something really interesting about that lake in the forest! Y'know, the one we skated on last year?"

Jack paused, his interest peeking at the boy's mention of skating on a lake in the forest.

Caleb lit up at the new information. "Ooh, tell us! Tell us!"

"Yeah, what did you find out? Does it explain what happened with Jamie?" Pippa asked, causing Jack to quirk his brow slightly at the familiar name. _Wait, Jamie? Jamie Bennett?_

"What happened to him? Is he okay?" Inquired Jack aloud even though he knew he would receive no answer, his dark brows furrowed. It was true that he hadn't seen the cheery boy in a while since he had seemingly disappeared from the group sometime during mid-winter last year, leaving Jack to wonder where the boy had gone even when his little sister Sophie was around. The fact that Pippa had hinted to something happening to him made the winter spirit worried, especially if it involved skating on his lake.

Monty continued on to answer Pippa's question as if there hadn't been an interruption. "Well, _not really_ , but it's still kind of spooky nonetheless! Apparently, sometime in the 1700s, a boy drowned in the lake and the legend says that his ghost haunts the lake!"

The winter spirit slightly snorted at the thought– _my lake, haunted?_ His dark brows remained furrowed in both confusion and interest, though, while he followed them closer as they continued to walk, a strange feeling pulling at his heart. He could tell that Wind felt it too because she slowly began to rustle the branches.

"Really?! That's creepy!" Commented Claude as he dodged his twin's attempt to tackle him.

"How old was he?"

Monty shrugged at Pippa's question, "Some sources say he was 14 years old, but that's about it."

The strange feeling that pulled at Jack's heart hastily left without saying goodbye.

"Oh, it's not me then." Jack mused, a note of despondency in his voice as he glanced at his beaten 17 or 18 year old physical form. Not that it would be him, of course; he wasn't anybody before he was Jack Frost. Besides, he would've remembered it if he had been. From the countless spirits that he's eavesdropped on, he knew that resurrected spirits had at least some dim idea of who they were in their past life, but Jack had woken up with no memories whatsoever– _none_.

So, he speculated that the supposed drowning must've happened before he was created. From as long as he could remember, no one had fallen through the ice at _his_ lake–he's made sure of that. Early on, he'd known that humans, just like most other life forms, could not handle the cold, and if his presence did not completely freeze the surface of his lake, he knew that many would've perished when on his lake so the drowning would've had to have happened before he was created. Either that, or it was truly just a local legend.

"Should we tell Jamie?" Pippa asked in a slightly concerned tone.

"No, he probably still thinks that _Jack Frost_ did it! Haha!"

Jack perked at hearing his name but then deflated when he quickly realized that Claude was using it in a joking manner.

"I swear, he believes in everything."

At that, the wintry teen's sullen expression was quickly replaced with a warm smile as he recalled that Jamie did, in fact, believe in _almost_ everything. Not only did Jack know that Jamie wholeheartedly–and unfortunately–believed in the Guardians, he had also once even seen him reading a book about cryptids, excitedly claiming that 'They're out there!' Overall, the kiddo truly had an indomitable spirit.

Very soon, they approached a snow-roofed suburban house, and Jack nimbly perched himself on the nearby fence surrounding it, careful to keep mindful of his injuries. He watched as the kids walked around the house, stopping just below a second story window. Pippa cupped her mouth with her hands before calling out at the window.

"Hey! Jamie! You there?"

Jack looked at the window with rapt attention as he eagerly waited for Jamie to come out. Soon enough, the window was opened and a boy popped his head out of it before looking down at his friends with a halfhearted smile. His face was round and youthful, his hair and eyes both brown, and Jack was glad to see the boy again. He watched intently as the boy known as Jamie began to talk from the window, a note of nervousness in his voice.

"Well-uh, hey guys! What's up?"

"We were wondering if you wanted to come and play with us outside!"

It was faint but Jack saw the light smile disappear from the boy's face as he glanced around nervously.

" _Today?"_

"Uh, yeah?" Claude answered, "Why, what's wrong? It's a snow day, dude!"

Jamie's hesitant voice answered back, "Um, I-I would love to, but I've-uh still got some homework to do so I don't think I can go."

In response, the group of children didn't even deflate at their friend's answer, and a part of Jack wondered if they were expecting Jamie to say no. Glancing back to Jamie, the winter spirit noticed how frayed he looked, almost as if he was _afraid_ to go outside and play. Jack was even more puzzled when his friends didn't continue to urge him to come out and play. Didn't they want Jamie to have fun?

The group began to leave the front yard, unable to look back at Jamie. Pippa called over her shoulder, "Okay, sure, I guess we'll see you at school tomorrow."

Jamie waved with uncertainty, "Oh, okay…Goodbye..."

Still perched on the fence, Jack could hear Caleb whisper as the group walked away, "I told you that he wouldn't come out."

Jack was left slightly dumbstruck as he looked between the boy in the window and his four friends that were currently leaving him alone. To the winter spirit, homework was just not a good enough reason to not have fun on a snow day.

 _Time to have some fun,_ thought Jack as he formed a single snowflake in his palm and let Wind carry it over to Jamie's open window to where the boy still stared out. However, right when the snowflake was about to come into to contact with the boy's nose and make the magic happen, Jamie spotted it and unceremoniously swatted once before backing away from the window and closing it harshly.

Jack's puzzled expression at the boy's strange action lasted only a second before he shrugged, _at least I tried…Maybe he really is busy._

It was still strange though; Jamie usually adored playing in the snow with his friends…

However, deciding that it was about time to fly off somewhere north, he stood straight up on the fence and turned his sore back to the house, silently hoping that whatever was happening with Jamie was just a phase. He was just about to let Wind carry him off to fly when he heard something strange–like a high-pitched noise to his left, and upon turning his head in its direction, something small and colorful slammed into his cheek, almost throwing him off balance. And without warning, the small, colorful thing began to attack his head, and was zipping around Jack too fast for him to see what it was as it chittered angrily with the same high-pitched noise that he had originally heard.

" _What-tha?!_ " The wintry teen gasped in surprise and confusion before fervently trying to dodge and swat the little assailant away with his staff. When that didn't work, he decided to drop his staff and grab whatever it was out of the air, all the while still keeping his balance on top of the fence. And finally, on the fourth try, Jack managed to catch it in his good hand as it squeaked profusely in protest. After getting a clear look at it, Jack's eyes widened as he realized what it was.

Gripped in his cold hand, was a hummingbird-like creature, like the ones he had seen with the Tooth Fairy earlier. In fact, upon closer examination, it looked like a baby version of the Tooth Fairy, and currently, it _did not_ look happy with him. If he wasn't so peeved at the small creature for attacking him, he would've melted at the rather cute scowl it was giving him. Without warning, though, the admittingly cute mini-fairy jabbed its hummingbird-like beak into his finger to which he immediately expressed his pain in the form of letting the thing go whilst sounding an "Ow!"

From that point, the process started all over again with the stubborn thing zipping around him furiously before it was caught by Jack yet again, and this time, he held onto the mini-fairy tightly so no more repeats would happen. After a second, he dropped from the fence next to his fallen staff carefully, making sure his sprained arm was secure before bringing his attention back to the fairy, raising it to eye level at a reasonable distance. Jack looked directly into its eyes as it did the same to him, not making a peep as it huffed in anger, scowling. Jack shook his head as he chided the flustered, feathery creature, "Nuh-uh, no more of that. Now, if you calm down, _I'll let you go_. Does that sound good?"

In that moment, the little fairy gave him a surprised yet confused look, almost as if she hadn't expected him to say that. After seemingly thinking his offer of freedom over, she bowed her head slowly and nodded reluctantly.

"Okay," he said slowly, not really trusting the fairy. "I'm going to let go…" And with that, he released the little fairy from his grip, and flinched away, expecting the release to end in more attacks.

But that never happened.

The creature hovered in the same spot for a second as it stared at him, utterly shocked; it was like it expected to be doomed but it was instead released out of kind mercy.

"What?" Jack asked, unsure why it was still staring at him.

In response, the little thing tilted its head with a squeak, a sight that Jack thought was rather cute, so he gave a little laugh.

When it perked at his laugh, he smiled. The smile disappeared however when the fairy almost seemed to swoon after obsessively gaping at his teeth.

At that moment, Jack realized how attractive his teeth must've looked to the little tooth fairy; most winter spirits were renowned for their naturally snow-white teeth. So, he flashed an even bigger smile, causing the fairy to squeal with delight.

The winter spirit then watched as the fairy settled herself snuggly onto his shoulder. Although he was confused at first, he eventually knew what it wanted; it wanted to stay with him, and Jack couldn't afford this adorable baby tooth fairy to be lost to the cold when he went up north, even if he would enjoy the company.

So, with his good hand, he shooed her off his shoulder nonchalantly. "Go on, go on home now."

In response, the fairy simply gave him an unbothered look as she hovered before she flew back to the same spot on his shoulder and gave him a squeak of protest, crossing her little arms.

"No, you don't want to be around me, all I bring is trouble." He reasoned, hoping to convince her to just go home.

While seemingly ignoring him, she stayed put.

Jack placed his good hand on his hip. "What, are you going to stay with me?"

The fairy nodded and gave a confident tweet. At that, Jack smiled again before leaning forward to pick up his staff.

"Alright, suit yourself." The wintry teen cautioned, staff now in hand. In response, the little fairy squeaked with glee, and Jack smiled, causing her to almost swoon again.

So, without a second to lose, Jack called onto Wind, and soon, they were soaring into the cold sky above and leaving Burgess far behind.

And in that moment, the winter spirit's heart was set aglow for he had just made a new friend.

* * *

"Manny, please!" North pleaded to the celestial body in the skylight above. "Tell us what to do, and we vill do it."

Next to the main fireplace, while he painted an egg with a rather jittery paw, E. Aster Bunnymund couldn't shake the feeling of worry after what had happened to Tooth after they had left her Palace for North's Workshop. Giving a fleeting glance towards the rather fatigued-looking Fairy Queen, his heart went out to her once again before he continued painting the egg in his paw.

The thing that shook him the most about the whole ordeal with Pitch and the Tooth Palace was that Toothiana, the Tooth Fairy, and the one and only Guardian of Memories, was now showing signs of losing believers by the dozens. Earlier, she had unexpectedly faltered to the ground, her iridescent wings fluttering to a permanent halt as her feathers lost their sheen. That was _not_ a good sign.

And although he would never openly admit it, the fact that Easter was only five days away and Pitch was now rampant made Bunny very, _very_ nervous. _But_ , Bunnymund remained _hopeful_. Hopeful that Pitch would utterly fail at picking them off one by one. Hopeful that the Nightmare King would disappear back underneath a bed. And most of all, hopeful that Manny came up with a solution to fix this mess.

Besides, they really had no other choice but to go seek help from him; other than the fact that Tooth was losing believers by huge amounts, once it was revealed that Pitch had been stealing Sandy's Dreamsand right under his nose to turn it into those monstrous creatures he called Nightmares, they knew that they needed help and fast; the sake of the children of the world depended on it. And although they wondered the true meaning on why Pitch Black decided to involve Jack Frost, they disregarded the detail and focused on the bigger matter at hand. Manny, however, remained unresponsive.

"Manny," North continued, "if there iz anyone that knows vhat to do, it iz you. Pitch seems stronger than ever, and although I believe we can defeat him, we are at a loss on where to start."

Sandy nodded up at the Moon while Tooth bowed her head. And after putting the egg and paintbrush away, Bunny finally decided it was time to join them underneath the skylight as well.

But still, the Man in the Moon kept quiet.

However, just when they had begun to think that he would remain silent, a ray of moonlight shone through the skylight, and with wide-eyed wonderment, they watched it concentrate on the large Guardian symbol carved into the floor. The symbol glowed before it moved to reveal a hole in its place that soon disappeared when a pillar topped with a large, blue gem emerged from it. As the ray of moonlight shone through the gem, it refracted, causing light to envelope the large room, and they all stood gaping with awe as the rather exciting realization sank in.

"A new Guardian…" Whispered North thoughtfully before he beamed up at Manny in amazement. "He's choosing a new Guardian!"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Bunny started, obviously not liking where this was going. "Mate, I knew we needed help, but another Guardian? That's a _big_ step."

"And it might be just what we need!" Tooth nodded, her dismal state from earlier all but forgotten as hope coursed through her. Sandy, with a big grin and two thumbs-up, looked equally enthusiastic about having another Guardian join them.

"Da, Bunny, a new Guardian vill be big help!" North stated with a smile as he looked back down at the bright glowing gem, hands placed confidently on hips.

After thinking it through a little more, Bunny agreed that it wouldn't be so bad having another Guardian join them. That is, with one exception.

The Pooka admitted with a quick nod, "Alright, mate, as long as it's not the bloody Groundhog, I'm fine with whoever!"

Sandy immediately snickered at the statement while both Tooth and North looked rather bemused. North then shook his head, "I vill never understand…"

Bunny shot a glare at the still-snickering Sandy while muttering under his breath, "Let's hope ya never do, mate."

Suddenly, the light of the gem grew stronger, pulling them from their thoughts and renewing their anticipation. Through the suspense, they all prepared themselves to witness the birth of a new Guardian whilst Bunny chanted underneath his breath continuously, "Please not the Groundhog, please not the Groundhog." And finally, after a bright flash, a figure of blue light began to resolve and form above the pillar's gem.

As the image became clearer, a strangely familiar figure was depicted–a hooded young teen with a shepherd's crook gripped in his hand.

…

Time seemed to freeze as their eyes widened, their breath caught, and they tensed with both utter shock and confusion. Only one word seemed to be suitable for this situation.

 ** _"_** _ **WHAT?!**_ ** _"_**

Their booming voices and the echoes that belonged to them were enough to briefly stop Yetis from producing toys in the workshop while the elves ceased their usual mirth and jingling as they stood frozen with shock, all wondering what had brought on the abrupt noise.

The Guardians had all expressed the emotion in unison–even Sandy signaled his shock with a giant exclamation point and question mark ( ** _!?_** ) of Dreamsand above his head. Looking over to the others, Tooth seemed to be on the verge of passing out while Aster fumed with ire, their eyes both glued to the image of the monstrosity that was supposedly a new Guardian.

Meanwhile, North, who was wholeheartedly bewildered, turned back to the figure on the moon that they had so trusted, looking for an explanation, "Manny! We do not understand, Jack Frost iz _not_ a Guardian!"

"Yeah, mate! Far from it!" Bunny snarled at the image above the pillar's gem, ears pinned back in righteous animosity.

The image of Jack Frost glowed even brighter at that, and they were utterly horrified at the sight.

Jack Frost, the _demon_ that had been the very one to _murder children_ , had just been chosen as a _Guardian of Childhood_.

They gawked further as Manny's light grew brighter with confidence, and just like that, it disappeared, leaving the image of Jack Frost to vanish, and the room to grow dim and silent as the appalling revelation sank in.

And, for a while, everyone seemed to be at a loss for words.

…

…

…

And then, ripping his gaze from the Moon to close his eyes, Nicholas St. North furrowed his brows, and he took a deep breath. After exhaling, he broke the silence by saying something he'd never thought he'd say: "It must be done."

"WHAT?!" Bunny bellowed, the others looking equally as wide-eyed and shocked at North's statement.

The Guardian of Wonder straightened, and after taking another deep breath, he exhaled and opened his eyes, flashing them in a serious manner at each Guardian. "If Manny believes that Jack Frost is… _capable_ of Guardianship then…he iz."

"WHAT?!" Bunny repeated while the others began to consider what North had said.

" _Is 'e crazy?"_ The Pooka gave each Guardian a bewildered expression as he pointed accusingly at North. "Jack Frost _is anything_ but a _Guardian!"_

"Bunny," Tooth began softly, hoping to ease the situation, "Manny has finally answered us, and…I think that if he didn't want to help us, he would've kept silent."

E. Aster Bunnymund blinked at what Tooth had said to him, not really wanting to register it. He opened his mouth briefly but closed it; he was at a complete loss for words. He then glanced at Sandy who nodded reluctantly as if what Tooth had said was sensible, and the Pooka just couldn't take it anymore.

" _ARE YA ALL OFF YA ROCKERS, JACK FROST IS A BLOODY CHILD KILLER!_ "

" _BUNNY, ENOUGH!_ " North boomed, silencing the incredulous Pooka. The Guardian of Wonder rubbed the bridge of his nose before looking back up and continuing, "He might be a child killer, _but_ according to Manny, he _iz_ what we _need_ to succeed in defeating Pitch."

Bunny's eye twitched as he gawked at North, and the Pooka opened his mouth more to respond, but before he could say anything, Tooth intervened.

"You know he's right, Bunny. I don't want to believe it either but I _have to_. Even though Jack Frost might not particularly be _qualified_ for Guardianship, he _was chosen_ by Manny…And although his choice is…questionable and…hard to take in, we _must_ follow it…" She paused, her eyes brightening a small bit, "And who knows? _Maybe_ …Jack Frost will change his ways after…we… _talk_ …to him?"

In that brief moment, Tooth was the only one that seemed to realize that convincing Jack Frost to join them as a Guardian of Childhood might be extremely difficult to do, not only because he _hated_ children, but especially because they just tried to… _kill_ him. However, the thought was immediately brushed aside for later when Sandy formed the word "Redemption?" above his head in Dreamsand, and Bunny's jaw dropped even more.

After a moment, the disbelieving Pooka closed his mouth and eyes before inhaling a deep breath. And just when they all thought he was going to blow up again, he spoke, his ears twitching with contained animosity, and his voice low and dangerous.

"Are you meaning to tell me that after everything that bloody _monster_ has done, you are willing to forgive and team up with _him_ , just like that, huh?"

His emerald green eyes snapped open to see that each Guardian gave a small, somewhat uncertain nod. And, with that, he scowled at them and crossed his arms.

How dare they.

The very thought of _that bloody devil_ being granted Guardianship was abhorrent; instead of protecting children, the Pooka knew that the despicable monster would be giving them frostbite, freezing, torturing, and murdering them all, and he was disgusted to believe that the other Guardians, especially Manny, seemed to be completely blind to this fact. Right now, E. Aster Bunnymund would even stoop so low to beg for the Groundhog to become a Guardian instead; at least, _he_ was _not_ a monster.

"Please, Bunnymund," North said with sincerity, his twinkling blue eyes pleading.

In response, Bunny just huffed and looked away from the Guardian of Wonder as he continued to talk, "We know that you do not like it, but we are also in same boat…and all we ask from you iz that you have trust in Manny's choice, no matter how difficult it may be if it means that we are one foot closer to defeating Pitch…"

A few seconds passed, and the disapproving Pooka remained unmoved.

"Do it for Easter, Bunny…do it for the children."

…

" _Fine_." Aster threw his arms up and then pointed sternly at North, "But I am _not_ going to play nice."

North nodded and shrugged nonchalantly, "Understandable. Now," the Guardian of Wonder clapped his hands together and proceeded to crack his knuckles, a dark malicious note in his voice as he asked, "how should we _fetch_ our new… _addition_?"

* * *

 **A/N** **:**

 **Uh-oh, that does not sound too good for Jack…But I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think! Also, if you have them, ask questions! It would be greatly appreciated! In the next chapter, expect Sarila to be back, there might be a snippet of Jamie's perspective, and you'll have to wait and see if things go well for Jack, MWHAHAHAA (I'm sorry). Anyways, thanks for your support, and until next time, bye!**


	7. A Change of Heart, Asking, and Fear

**A/N** **: Hey, you! Yeah, you! Thank you so much for your continuous support! Don't worry, I didn't die while on that short hiatus, I was just extremely busy (plus, this chapter took a while to write and edit)! So, I'm really sorry that I had to keep you all waiting for so long! I'm hoping that the length of this chapter will make up for it though. Anyway, welcome back to** ** _The Serendipity of a Misunderstood Winter Spirit!_** **This chapter has a flashback (from two days ago when Jack encountered those spring spirits). The start and end of the flashback will be indicated by this "** ❀❁❀ **" symbol. So, lay back, eat some snacks, and relax (I wrote this in rhyming fashion because this chapter is pretty long)!**

 **So, without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: A Change o** **f** **Heart, Asking for Reasons, and a Boy's Fear**

"Can you _believe_ the _nerve_ of that _little frost imp_?" Camden, one of the many superintendents of the Spring Court, said through his teeth to surrounding spring spirits, " _daring_ to let snow fall again after being _taught a lesson_!"

Nearby, a spring nymph clad in a purple-blue, chiton-like dress, walked away from the ranting group at a faster rate upon the mention of Jack Frost's most recent, impertinent act. This spirit, Sarila Fioralba Thaw, lowered her light brown-haired head as she walked away briskly, hoping to draw less attention to herself.

Of course, she didn't want to get involved in _their_ conversation; she was simply just passing through Mother Nature's Palace when she overheard the bigoted spring spirits talking up a storm about their hatred of Jack Frost like no tomorrow.

Admittedly, before she had actually met _him_ , she did the same with her friends. But now, from all the dirty looks that spirits gave her now and the hushed whispers of gossip, she was certain that _they all_ _knew_ what she had done that day when a few spring spirits including herself decided to teach the infamous winter spirit _a lesson_. So, Sarila avoided the very mention of _Jack Frost_ lest her actions of disloyalty were brought up as well. By now, she was very lucky to not have been seen by the spring spirits she went with, especially May Flowers.

Soon, this evasive spring herald reached the giant carved doorway leading out of the Court of Spring and into the lonely hallway where few spirits wandered, and sunlight peaked through the far wall composed of entwined vines and various other plants. It was a sanctuary where she could relax her nerves and not have to worry about being scornfully scrutinized by the very same seasonal Court she belonged to.

It wasn't always this way, she knew. Pondering through it as she walked down the corridor, she remembered that it had all started after she had refused to take part in teaching Jack Frost _a lesson_ almost two days ago now.

In short, Sarila had a big change of heart.

As a spring spirit, she had always been told that winter spirits were bad, _especially_ the one known as _Jack Frost_. These spirits were the ones that brought the death and the cold that Spring sought to protect life from. The season of Winter was a natural process, she knew, but when the heralds of Winter were callous and unrelenting towards all forms of life, that is where the Court of Spring and its spirits drew the line.

And it wasn't just the Court of Spring; despite their differences, the Courts of Summer and Autumn also thought the exact same of Winter and its seasonal heralds¾that the entire Court itself was an utter disgrace, more or less a _plague_ upon the Earth.

Moreover, she had definitely heard of the lone winter spirit, _Jack Frost_. Freezing innocent spirits solid, cruel pranks that messed with the other seasons, and killing humans all seemed to be his passion. He even claimed that Winter was "fun" because of these reasons. In short, Jack Frost was a cruel, malicious, troublemaking spirit that _deserved_ to be put in his place for all the wrongs he had caused. Not surprisingly, most considered him to be a mistake of Mother Nature and hoped he would eventually fade on his own somehow.

The saddest part?

Sarila had wholeheartedly believed all of this without a doubt.

Granted, almost all winter spirits she had ever happened to bump into were rather churlish, but she had never truly known them for who they really were or even seen the one known as Jack Frost himself. However, these rumors and notions of them were all that she had heard continuously throughout her existence so they couldn't have been _that_ far-fetched… _right?_

 **Wrong.**

About two days ago, when she was invited by May Flowers, an esteemed and popular superintendent of the Spring Court, to track down Jack Frost and give him a piece of her mind, Sarila gladly jumped at the opportunity as any sane spirit would and went along with a few other spring spirits (Verde, Landon, April, and of course, May) to deliver their "message."

Undeniably, a while back, Jack Frost had destroyed the Ritual of the First Flower, a ceremony crucial to the Court of Spring and especially important to May Flowers herself, by killing all of the flowers with his frost. Sarila hadn't been there to witness his act of audacity herself, but she had heard it was despicable, and everyone in the Court felt that some payback was definitely long overdue.

At that moment, Sarila reached a secluded stone bench at the corner of the corridor next to the far wall. She smoothed out her dress after sitting down, and once settled, she resumed her thoughts.

She was definitely no stranger to what they would do to Jack Frost; she had heard many stories of seasonal spirits, specifically of the wintery kind, that messed with Spring. In short, _no one_ messed with Spring without getting away with it.

It was the same for the other seasons too. _No one_ messed with Summer without getting away with it. _No one_ messed with Autumn without getting away with it. And, more or less so, no one messed with Winter without getting away with it. For the most part, the other nature spirits stayed out of their way.

And although they all knew that Mother Nature disapproved of this system (she expected them all to be familial-like or at least nice to one another while even the Supreme Ministers of the Seasons seemed apathetic towards her idea by continuously quarreling amongst themselves), there was definitely a strong unspoken rivalry and even prejudice between the four seasonal types that would probably never be extinguished.

 _And how could it be anyways_ , Sarila thought. _They were all way too different_. Spring spirits were usually gentle but could be rather practical and demanding at times; Summer spirits with their hot-headed yet passionate and carefree personas overwhelmed most; Autumn spirits were generally meticulous and snarky enough to drive someone insane; and winter spirits were reclusive, indifferent, harsh and Jack Frost was the _absolute_ worst of them.

In short, _Jack Freakin' Frost_ definitely _deserved_ what he had coming.

And that was exactly what Sarila thought until she actually _saw_ him for the first time.❀❁❀

That morning, almost two days ago by now, when they had found him trying to flee on the North Wind somewhere above Pennsylvania, it was still cold despite it already being Spring. And as if the _chill_ in the air brought on by _his_ presence wasn't enough fuel their ire further, looking down on the surrounding landscape, it was very noticeable that _frost_ laced every surface, causing even more anger to bubble within Sarila and the others. _How dare he continue to spread Winter when it was Spring._

After Verde and Landon knocked the icy spirit out of the sky, and he had made contact with the ground with a harsh thud, Sarila watched from a short distance away as his arms were pinioned behind his back, and his lean form struggled against the grip of the two strong spirits of Spring.

Suddenly, Sarila's expression of loathing changed in an instant, and uncertainty bloomed within her as her purple-blue eyes looked him over.

His whitish-silvery hair that was now disheveled, pale skin that was now starting to glisten with sweat, and icy-blue eyes that seemed like they could shatter ice itself made it clear to her that he was definitely a winter spirit.

Other than that, he looked nothing like she expected the infamous Jack Frost to look like.

For starters, from hearing all that he's done for three centuries, the spring spirit imagined him to be more…more… _well_ , intimidating and physically older-looking. He physically looked to be about her age, and he seemed to be well-built but slender (as most winter spirits were) and not as sturdy-looking as she thought he would be. This paired with his modern-day apparel (a "hoodie" she had heard some human children call it) that was, of course, blue (a color of the Winter Court) seemed to give off the impression of a harmless teenager. However, the defiant and hateful glint in his cold eyes assured her that looks could be deceiving.

Scrunching her brows together, Sarila tried to regain her hostile expression, but almost immediately, her face fell; something just didn't seem right. Looking back at the winter spirit's restrained form again, taking revenge just didn't feel as satisfying as she had thought it would.

As May Flowers and her older sister April Showers made their way to stand in front of and make themselves known to the retrained winter spirit, Sarila couldn't help but not move out of sudden hesitancy. After Jack Frost glowered at the two superintendents of the Spring Court in front of him, he shifted his icy glare directly at her and she _froze_.

Their eyes locked for a few moments. Then, with his dark brows still furrowed, he looked down to her hip where the bandage-filled pocket of her dress was. Earlier, she had stuffed the pocket with some bandages as a precaution in case anyone sustained some type of injury from facing the dangerous winter spirit. However, it seemed pointless considering he was so quickly captured and restrained. Presently, Sarila had no idea that she'd been holding her breath until the winter spirit's frosty gaze left her entirely, and she sighed softly out of relief.

Meanwhile, all around them, the East Wind (just as April and May "commanded" it to) and the North Wind (just as Jack Frost probably "commanded" it to) were both battling, causing the trees to sway and debris to be thrashed around as the two powerful forces howled throughout the landscape; for the most part, the East Wind seemed to be triumphant over its celestial sibling, a great sign for the spring seasonals.

Moments passed, and as her fellow spring spirits continued to threaten the notorious herald of winter, the warmth of their aura began to take its toll, and Sarila began to see right through him like thin ice.

Then, like an ice-cold wave, full remorse washed over her as she saw the pity-inspiring look in his eyes.

He was _scared_.

He was _tired_.

He was in _pain_.

He had feelings. He was just another spirit. _What_ was _she doing_? _What_ were _they doing_? No matter how horrible a spirit may be, no one deserved _cruel_ punishment inflicted upon them. In spite of her original notions of Jack Frost, Sarila was disgusted that it had come to this. Why didn't the others see it in that instant that what they were doing was so very wrong?

The sound of a voice she had never heard before followed by a sharp smack snapped her out of her thoughts.

Sarila immediately looked back up to see Jack Frost shoved into the ground with a handprint beginning to form on his left cheek and a furious-looking May Flowers towering over him, her wavy honey-blonde hair almost seemed to be bristling with ire as her normally sweet face formed a nasty scowl.

"Shut it, Frost!" May fumed without restraint, "I'm tired of you always ruining things! You never learn your lesson, and I hope this is the last I ever have to see of you, you cold waste of space!"

May then rose her hand again to strike, and something inside of Sarila snapped as she saw the winter seasonal wince away.

At the drop of a hat, just before May brought her hand down, Sarila sprung out in front of her, grabbed her wrist, and the rest is history.

Time slowed for Sarila as she realized what she had just done; not only had she protected Jack Frost, an enemy of Spring Court, but she had also just blocked the strike of one of _the_ superintendents of the Spring Court. Briefly, her stomach had twisted into knots, but she continued to stand her ground as she stared sternly back into the shocked eyes of May.

At the same time, Sarila could sense a pair of surprised icy-blue eyes gaping at her back. After sending her group a glare of disapproval, she turned around and looked down to see that her suspicion was correct; Jack Frost's eyes seemed to be filled with the shock that someone _actually_ stood up for _him_ , and to Sarila, it was all worth it.

In the end, even though she tried to stop what was to come, the spring spirit knew that April, May, Landon, and Verde were as stubborn as she had been mere minutes before. And with her new sense of moral, she couldn't bear to watch _what they would do_ to Jack Frost so she took her leave, vowing to herself that she would return when they left.

* * *

And now, _everyone knew_. She could see it in their eyes every time they passed her while walking through the Palace. _They knew_. They knew that Sarila Fioralba Thaw was a traitor to her own Seasonal Court.

Sarila just _prayed_ to fate with all her heart that they _never_ found out that she had healed him afterward. She would like to not think about what they would do to her if they ever found out.

All in all, to her, it was rather odd; she had _betrayed_ her _own_ Court for the sake of a _winter spirit_ that was known to be very dangerous, despicable, and cruel.

It was _simply fantastic._

Knowing herself better than anyone else, she was not one to rebel or speak out against injustices she had noticed the Court possess before, but what she had witnessed that day had really irked her.

What surprised Sarila the most out of everything that happened, however, was that Jack Frost didn't seem to be as… _evil_ as everyone said he was and she believed him to be. Granted, she approached him the second time when he was injured, which meant even if he did try to hurt her, he really couldn't (plus, the specific kind of spring spirit that she was deterred most harmful effects of the cold that would typically harm other spring spirits), but he still didn't seem to be the spirit that everyone ranted about. In fact, although extremely hostile at first (especially towards her when she had confronted him about treating his injuries), he overall just seemed…very _sad, lonely_ and… _misunderstood._ Surprisingly, whilst getting his injuries tended to, he was more scared of her than the other way around considering he was the one that was supposed to be dangerous.

* * *

In the afternoon, by the time she came back to find him sitting upright on the ground, his breath rasping, and his fatigued body beaten and bruised, her heart broke a little. At any second, he seemed like he could collapse. Unsure of how to approach him, the spring nymph hid behind a tree and waited a few moments. Peaking out from behind it, she observed him while the chilling North Wind murmured softly throughout the land.

In the winter spirit's right hand was a wooden staff (a conduit, she presumed) she didn't know he had before. From what she could tell from her vantage point, he had a black eye, split lip, bloodied nose, and the way his left arm bent and his breathing rasped made her stomach tie itself in knots.

The spring spirit _could not_ believe that she was out in a forest somewhere in Pennsylvania _alone_ and about to approach _Jack Frost_ and ask if he wanted her, a spring seasonal, to treat his injuries that were caused by her very own "friends" earlier. Realizing that he would probably not be too happy to see her again, she briefly debated whether or not she should just leave him alone to fend for himself. Her compassion, however, was too strong to ignore. So, taking a deep breath, Sarila stood out from behind the tree to reveal herself, and the murmuring of the North Wind instantly died.

Sensing the disturbance, Jack Frost snapped his head in Sarila's direction, and his wary eyes landed on her as she prepared for his reaction. It only took the winter spirit a second to realize _what_ she was, and after faltering a bit, he shot up into the air quicker than she thought possible in his condition and landed on a nearby tree branch. With a threatening glare and stance, he pointed his staff in her direction, ready to deliver a bolt of fatal ice that she'd seen many winter spirits use before.

Regardless of this unnerving fact, Sarila remained unfazed; being a "Thawing" spring spirit, the spring warmth she radiated exceeded most other spirits in her Court so she was kind of impervious to most cold-based attacks. This fact, along with his weakened form rendered him rather harmless so the light-brown haired spirit calmly stood her ground as he glared on at her with as much anger as he could muster.

And just when the spring spirit thought he couldn't look any fiercer, their eyes locked and he seemed to have recognized her because, with a wave of his staff in her direction, an icy bolt was produced with her name on it. However, the ice attack never hit Sarila and just melted as it neared her instead (as she expected), much to the winter spirit's surprise.

Sarila had remained calm throughout the rest of their interaction, but after trying to convince the infamous winter herald that she was just trying to help and receiving nothing but angry shouts of incredulity from him, she was sure that Jack Frost was going to be _just_ _fine_ on his own; his stubborn and standoffish attitude was persistent throughout their entire conversation, much to her unexpressed annoyance.

But then, when he turned to fly off the tree branch and make his leave, he teetered, lost his footing, and her purple-blue eyes widened as she watched him fall. Before Sarila could even attempt to catch him, an invisible force she could only assume was the North Wind itself caught him mid-fall and placed him gently on the ground, his back to it.

Cautiously, the spring herald walked over to the unmoving form of Jack Frost and awkwardly prodded his shoulder once with her bare foot.

Yep, he was unconscious…for quite a while it seemed, too.

 _Well,_ Sarila thought as she took a step back, _this just got a little easier._

True, it would be easier to treat his injuries since he was unconscious and no longer squabbling at her, _but…_

Sarila had never actually treated a winter spirit before.

She had healed many spring spirits, even some summer and autumn spirits, sure, but she had _never_ treated a winter spirit before. Understandably, their standoffish and reclusive nature convinced her that even if they had been injured, they'd rather lick their own wounds instead of having them treated by a spring spirit. As a result, she wasn't quite sure what precautions she should take. Sarila did know, however, that winter spirits _needed_ the cold to heal.

But how would she get him somewhere cold?

She would haul him herself using little breezes, but that might take too long. _Plus_ , she thought as she gave a worried glance at his sweat-glistened face, _if I carry him for too long, he might just melt…_

She had the ability to teleport, but the downside was that she could only take herself.

She could call upon the East Wind (if it would actually listen to her for once), but then it would know that she was trying to help Jack Frost, and undoubtedly spill her secrets to the other spring seasonals. Plus, she doubted that the North Wind wanted to deal with its sibling after everything that had happened recently.

Speaking of said Wind, Sarila noticed that it began to murmur something. Being a spring seasonal, however, she couldn't understand what the Wind of Winter was trying to tell her. Sarila thought it was odd because the North Wind should've known that the only Wind a spring spirit could automatically understand was the East Wind, the Wind of Spring. Nonetheless, the Wind of Winter continued to speak, gently tugging at Sarila's long, wavy light-brown hair and causing her dress to billow.

After a few moments of this, Sarila shook her head at the air and spoke, "I don't understand."

The North Wind didn't cease, though. Instead, it focused its power on Jack's staff, which his right hand still clutched, and lifted the conduit into the air a little.

 _It wants me to…take his staff?_

After giving a small shrug and a nod, Sarila walked towards the unconscious winter spirit, and stooped down to take the staff but found it was secured in a rather tenacious grip. So, hesitantly, she pulled his cool, pale fingers off of it one by one.

The moment she pried the staff from Jack Frost's hand completely, the language of the North Wind immediately filled her mind. Although taken aback at first by the sudden intake of new knowledge, Sarila quickly understood what _She_ was trying to tell her:

 _'_ _If you carry him, I shall take you both north, where 'tis cold and the warmth of spring cannot find him so easily.'_

After Sarila listened to the ancient being, staff still in hand, she stood confidently in place and gave a nod. Truth be told, Sarila was shocked that the North Wind was so willing to talk to her, a spring spirit nonetheless. Usually, the East Wind was so hard to get to talk, and when She did talk, She _only_ ever talked to certain spring spirits that she favored. Maybe with the North Wind it was different, maybe She talked to or at least tried to talk to everyone she came across. At that thought, Sarila felt a small pang of jealousy swell within her as she slightly leered down at the unconscious herald of winter at her feet.

That small pang of jealousy vanished almost immediately, however, when Sarila's purple-blue eyes recognized the small grimace of pain present on Jack Frost's unconscious face. The herald of spring quickly sat down to his right and looked over his torso, trying to figure the best place to pick him up without hurting him more than he already was.

After tucking loose strands of her light-brown hair out of her face, she quickly scanned over his visible injuries, her gaze eventually landing on the ones that marred his face. A split lip, bloody nose, and a black eye were what she had noticed from a distance beforehand, but up close, she could see the total damage which was composed of small scratches and bruises that made her heart hurt.

She leaned in closer, put her hand gingerly on the side of his face, and sighed. Jack Frost was probably not as cold as he should be.

At this rate, the spring maiden realized that she would have to wait to examine his injuries later if she wanted him to remain in good health. The only problem with that was that _she just couldn't pull her eyes away._

Even with the blemishes, Sarila admired the way his face was angled and the shape of his nose, mouth, and eyebrows. His abnormally pale skin and silvery-white hair were as foreign to her as they were strangely beautiful. And his striking _eyes_ , when opened, of course, reminded her of what she imagined the sunlit sky of Antarctica to look like, cold but undoubtedly _wondrous_.

It only took her a moment to realize that she'd never seen a winter spirit in such a vulnerable state.

Without warning, the North Wind howled fervently, and Sarila snapped her head up, startled.

Whether the Wind of Winter howled with laughter or impatience, Sarila couldn't tell. The spring spirit was too busy fathoming what just transpired and blushed. The North Wind howled again, and Sarila shook her head and focused on the task at hand; fully tending to and checking on his injuries would have to wait for now.

Eventually and ever so awkwardly, with her arm underneath his own and wrapped around his limber back (while avoiding his injured arm), Sarila managed to pick Jack Frost's limp body up. And with the infamous winter spirit's staff tightly gripped in her hand, she nodded to the North Wind, and they were off.

It only took an hour before Sarila couldn't take the cold anymore. During their flight, the landscape had changed drastically, as did the temperature. Being a "Thawing" spring spirit, she was sure that the warmth she radiated would've made the cold, unforgiving temperatures of a taiga somewhere in the northern wilds of Québec somewhat bearable. And it did… _for a while_ , at least. Now, however, even with the North Wind encouraging her, she just couldn't go any further; her hands and feet were becoming painfully numb.

Plus, she was certain that Jack Frost was close to gaining consciousness because he had shifted in her hold a few seconds ago. It would be best if he woke up on the ground and not in the sky being carried by a stranger.

"This is as far as I can go…" Sarila had murmured whilst she looked up to the sky, hoping the Wind of Winter would understand her dilemma.

Slowly, the Wind of Winter let them descend until her bare feet reached the snowy ground. Upon contact, the cold shot through her body and she shivered. After a good moment of looking around, she saw a snowbank about thigh-high and trod over to it before laying the winter spirit down in it.

The effect was immediate, and Sarila wondered if she had imagined it; Jack Frost had visibly relaxed in the morbidly _freezing_ snow with what seemed to be a sigh of relief. She, on the other hand, simply shivered once more but remained steady while leaning in to look over his wounded form, holding onto his shoulder for support.

After a few moments, Sarila remembered that she was still holding onto his staff. So, she laid it across his torso to reach into her pocket for the roll of bandages with her new free hand.

That was a mistake, it seemed.

Immediately, Jack Frost snapped his eyes _open_ to glare directly at her and she paused and retracted her arm, wondering if he had been awake for long. He did initially startle her, but she remained calm whilst staring back into his fiercely threatening eyes with the softest, most trust-yearning gaze she could muster.

Sarila saw in his cold eyes that the winter spirit before her _truly_ thought that she meant to harm him, probably thanks to the countless spring spirits that she had heard harass him in the past. Understandably, mere hours ago, she used to be one of those same spirits after all. That is, before her change of heart, of course.

Slowly, and without breaking eye contact, the light-brown haired teen kneeled down beside him, the top of the snow bank now at her stomach. She tried her best to not cause alarm as she cautiously reached over to what she presumed was a sprained arm, his dangerous glare still piercing. When she had pulled up his blue sleeve to examine the injury, he sneered at the contact in protest.

Ignoring him, Sarila easily recognized what seemed to be a large bruise surrounding his swollen elbow, and sympathy bloomed within her; it looked terrible, and it definitely needed to be wrapped in order to decrease mobility which would allow it to heal. Meeting his gaze with a look sympathy, she _hoped_ he understood that she really did want to help him.

"Please," she began, her tone pleading. "Hold still…"

In response, the white-haired spirit produced an incredulous look while seemingly lost in thought. Taking that as an okay, Sarila went to reach into her pocket again but faltered slightly as her knee sank into the snow beneath her, causing her to accidentally tighten the grip on his injured arm. This elicited a small whine and a grimace of pain from the winter seasonal, breaking him out of his thoughts as he sent an angry glare in her direction. Sarila sent a fleeting apologetic look to him but resumed her action of reaching into her pocket for the bandages she had.

That was also a mistake, it seemed.

Almost immediately, in an attempt that she could only assume was in self-defense, the white-haired spirit struggled vigorously against her grasp as she continued to reach into her pocket. The gray sky above fervently began to release snowflakes, signaling his distress and panic to her further. And to say the least, the spring spirit's heart broke once more at seeing the expression he made when he finally understood that _she_ actually _wanted_ to _help_ _him_ , bandages now held out in full view.

It was like he was stunned, his beautiful eyes wide with shock as his hostile demeanor melted. His gaze then met her's, and she elaborated her motive yet again, the cold making her shiver.

"I told you, I-I wanted to help. So, please…just be still, okay?"

In response, the snowflakes immediately ceased their descent from the sky, and the winter herald seemed lost as he tried to make sense of what she had just told him. And just when Sarila had thought he would remain unmoved, he sighed. Then, the spring spirit watched gratefully as he relaxed back into the snow bank, utterly exhausted, it seemed; he was _finally_ convinced.

Without another moment to lose, she tucked the loose strands of her long, light-brown hair back behind her ear and went to work with her bandages on his sprained arm. With his elbow slightly bent, she slowly began to wrap around it. The spring seasonal tried to be as gentle as possible when doing so, but she still saw the winter seasonal wince and grimace a little at the contact. Pity filled her expression but disappeared as she saw him catch glimpse of it. And as she continued to wrap his arm, Sarila noticed something interesting from the corner of her eye that unexpectedly made her heart flutter.

 _Jack Frost_ was _eyeing her_. She imagined that she had the very same look whenever she had...admired…his face earlier…

Without thinking, Sarila flickered her purple-blue eyes to his and watched with unexpressed mirth as he startled slightly and looked away, suddenly fascinated with examining the staff in the grip of his other hand. Sarila went along with it, acting like she wasn't even aware of what had happened. Before looking away to finish up wrapping his arm, however, she noticed a light purple-blue tint quickly flush his cheeks.

 _How cute,_ the spring nymph thought, her heart continuing to flutter strangely, _Winter spirits blush blue…_

Sooner than she had thought, Sarila looked down at his bandaged sprained arm and concluded that it was finished, satisfied with her work. It was now brace-like and should remain that way for many days to come, allowing his arm to heal properly.

When she shivered from the biting cold yet again, the spring spirit remembered that she wanted to double check the injuries on his face (not to mention, see him blush again).

So, without warning, she quickly leaned down and grabbed the sides of his face with both hands, holding him in place as she closely examined the injuries (and also took joy in the cute, startled expression he made at the close contact, their faces inches apart). She felt a shiver come on again but tried to stifle it as she spoke next.

"These s-should heal up in about a week, so don't worry."

After a few more seconds of this, she pulled away, leaving Jack Frost rather stunned (but unfortunately, not blushing).

"I d-don't have any more bandages, but I'd be happy to see what else I can do to help. Do you hurt anywhere else?"

In response, Jack Frost immediately shook his head "no" as if he hadn't even thought about what she'd just asked. Despite his quick answer, however, if she remembered correctly, the way he breathed when she'd first found him was more than concerning. Looking at him now, though, the thought that maybe the cold helped alleviate his raspy breathing (as it did to cool his heated skin) entered her mind, and she shrugged the thought off.

By now, Sarila knew full well that it was time to say goodbye to this so-called infamous spirit with him being patched up and her fingers and toes beginning to feel rather strange from the cold. So, with a final glance at his face for her memory to keep, she spoke her parting words.

"Well, goodbye and good luck."

Promptly, the spring seasonal stood up and began to walk away. She didn't expect him to respond since he hadn't done so in such a long while. However, when she was just about to teleport, a voice completely stopped her in her tracks.

"Thank you."

She stayed frozen for a long moment, unable to process those words for a while until, with a warm smile and lively eyes, she turned around to look upon the winter spirit once more. His crystal-blue eyes, although fatigued and one blackened, were gleaming with gratefulness, something she had never seen in a winter spirit before now.

Taking hold of the skirt of her purple-blue dress, she curtsied, responding with a "You're welcome."

Jack Frost smiled, and her mind briefly went blank for a moment at the sight; his white teeth _sparkled_ like freshly fallen snow. Sarila smiled back warmly before turning around to teleport to Spring Haven, leaving the very _interesting_ winter spirit beh–❀❁❀

Suddenly, the same voice from earlier, which she immediately recognized belonged to Camden, interrupted her thoughts as it echoed from the Court of Spring and into the corridor that she was currently in.

" _What do you mean_ _the Guardians_ _were looking for_ him?"

A hushed murmur of whispers began to surge after that statement. Sarila, too, was puzzled as she tried to make sense of it. What did the Guardians want with Jack? Did they want to _kill_ him?

At that thought, Sarila Thaw hoped that wherever Jack Frost was, he was safe.

* * *

The immense whiteness stretched beyond the horizon. Only the sparse coniferous trees that dotted the area seemed to interrupt it, but even they were overtaken by the overwhelming colorlessness of the snow.

They were now in a snowy taiga somewhere in northern Ontario, and Jack had never felt better. The extreme chill breathed life back into the winter spirit as it enveloped his injured form. He could already feel his arm slowly healing as the rest of his body did the same. The winter spirit turned his face towards the clouded sky, snowflakes tickling his cheeks, and closed his icy-blue eyes. For a good moment, he stood there in his spot in the snow and reveled in the feeling. Time stilled as he thought nothing could ruin this moment for him.

That is, nothing except for the now-shivering mini-fairy cuddled into the crook of his neck, wrapping a portion of his blue hoodie around her for warmth.

Jack opened his eyes and looked at the cold fairy with concern.

"Sorry, I kind of forgot you were with me," the wintry teen said apologetically. In response, the mini-fairy whose name he had found out was Baby Tooth (which was quite ironic, he thought), buried herself further into his neck as she continued to shiver.

Jack winced. He, a being whose utter essence was made from this unforgivable climate, relished the feeling of the cold. Looking around, however, he remembered that the snowy taiga truly was no place for a creature like the little fairy currently shivering into the cold cloth of his hoodie and freezing skin of his neck, trying to produce warmth.

In all fairness, he did try to warn Baby Tooth not to come with him earlier, but she insisted on going with him. Nonetheless, he knew he needed to get her somewhere warm before he went any further north; he didn't want to see what would happen to her if she stayed with him. Besides, he also didn't want the _Tooth Fairy_ to find out about their misadventure together that was just waiting to happen either, not that Baby Tooth would tell her anyway, he was sure of it.

So, Jack took to the sky slowly and watched as the fairy stirred and cracked her eyes open, possibly wondering why he was turning back around to fly south. Before Baby Tooth could squeak out her question, though, Jack explained, "I am taking you back to someplace that is warmer." He paused as his gaze shifted back up to the sky. "There, I will have to leave you."

Being as cold as she was, Baby Tooth couldn't protest. Instead, she gripped the winter spirit's hoodie tighter in her small hands and waited for what was to come.

After about half an hour, when it noticeably started to get a little warmer, he remembered a question that had been clawing at the back of his mind ever since he befriended Baby Tooth about three hours ago. It was a question he was sure would make things tense between them, but he just had to know the answer to it. And even though he didn't fully understand her language, he could make out different gestures along with the tone of her chirps and squeaks which helped him understand. Eventually, with his mind made up, Jack cleared his throat a little to draw the fairy's attention before speaking.

"So, before I drop you off," he started, watching Baby Tooth cock her head as she listened. "I've had this question in the back of my mind for a while now, and I was wondering if you would answer it…"

Baby Tooth nodded curiously, wanting to know the question now, and Jack took a deep breath.

 _Here goes nothing…_

"Would you mind telling me why the _Guardians of Childhood_ tried to… _kill_ me earlier?"

Now it was the Baby Tooth's turn to give him an apologetic look.

A long moment of silence past. Even Wind quelled her continuous soft murmur as he flew through the sky, listening for a reply.

And just when Jack thought Baby Tooth wouldn't answer, the fairy gave a small squeak of sadness.

With her head bowed, she nodded reluctantly before looking up to meet his eyes with an expression that told him he probably already knew.

* * *

After shutting his bedroom window, Jamie Bennett sighed.

"That was _way_ too close," he thought aloud to himself, relieved.

That snowflake was coming straight for him, and he was glad he saw it before it had touched him. After a moment, he trudged over to his bed and plopped onto his back. He stared blankly up at the ceiling of his bedroom before frowning slightly at himself.

He had just _lied_.

To _his friends_.

He had just lied to his friends about having unfinished homework so he could avoid having to go outside and play with them.

The reason?

It was a snow day, and snow days meant snow, and snow meant _Jack Frost_.

Jamie shuddered involuntarily at the thought and curled in on himself as memories came flooding back into his mind.

Last year around this time,

 ** _Jamie Bennett loved to ice skate; it was one of his favorite winter pastimes._**

something had happened to him.

 ** _One winter day, Jamie stumbled upon a lone frozen lake in the forest near his home._**

When it had happened,

 ** _Later that evening, Jamie convinced his friends to go ice skating with him on this new lake that he had found._**

it was so sudden,

 ** _When they arrived at the frozen lake, they eagerly donned their ice skates after checking the ice to make sure it was thick enough._**

and cold, it had knocked the breath out of him. Immediately,

 ** _Jamie was the first on the ice, playfully zipping circles around his friends as they soon followed him onto the shimmering surface._**

he coughed, and cold liquid filled his lungs. In response,

 ** _Jamie and his friends were having so much fun gliding on the frozen water._**

he desperately tried his best to refrain from coughing again as he felt for the surface, his arms eagerly reaching out in front of him, prepared to pull himself out of the numbingly-cold water. However,

 ** _The fun couldn't last forever._**

the only thing that met his arms was the cold, slick feeling of sturdy ice. After opening his eyes and looking around,

 ** _Jamie couldn't believe how much time had passed; the Moon was higher in the sky than it had been when they had first arrived at the lake, and the sky had darkened immensely._**

there was no opening or break anywhere in the surface of the ice; it had somehow froze over. His eyes widened as he realized he was trapped. Eventually,

 ** _They would have to go home soon._**

he started to cough again, his lungs filling with more and more water. He desperately pounded his fists on the underside of the ice, hoping with all his might that his friends would rescue him. Unfortunately,

 ** _His friends wanted to go home by now, but Jamie wanted to stay and keep skating; he didn't want to fun to end. His friends made their way to the shore of the lake and began taking their skates off anyway._**

his friends were taking too long. He heard muffled yells and frantic footsteps from above as they tried to help him. Suddenly,

 ** _A strange noise then echoed across the lake as the boy continued to skate._**

he couldn't cough anymore; his lungs were painfully full as he gasped for the oxygen that wasn't there. Soon enough,

 ** _Jamie and his friends realized it was the sound of ice cracking, much to their horror. The boy froze while his friends quickly yelled for him to get off the ice._**

his struggling became feeble, and he began to sink away from the ice, his unmoving body feeling cold, sore, and heavy. He began to think of his family and friends and their futures. Before him,

 ** _He noticed a crack forming in the ice, however, and he was too terrified to move. He slowly looked back to his worried friends with an equally worried look._**

the darkness was so immense, but the Moon seemed to chase the darkness away as it's light refracted through the ice. Something rather unsettling, however, began to cackle evilly from the darkness itself. Before he even had a chance,

 ** _The ice beneath him suddenly shifted, and he plunged into the cold water with a yell of shock._**

that something continued to laugh mockingly, and it terrified Jamie more than the fact that he was currently drowning. This _thing_ was the one that caused his life to be endangered; this _thing_ wanted him to not ever see his family and friends again; this _thing_ _wanted him_ _dead._ Suddenly, the light of the moon was then shattered as something smashed through the ice above. Immediately,

 ** _He coughed, and cold water filled his lungs_** _ **for**_ ** _he_** _ **had**_ **fallen** ** _through the ice_** _ **on that**_ ** _fateful_** **winter's _day_.**

as he was pulled from the water, his body sliding on the slick ice, he coughed, the cold water inhabiting his lungs, gushing out. He opened his bleary eyes to see his friends circled around him, saying something muffled that he couldn't quite make out. He coughed again, tightly closing his eyes as more liquid painfully expelled from his lungs.

When he opened his eyes again, however, he didn't _just_ see his friends circled around him.

No, he also saw the silhouette of an ominous figure in the distance _floating_ in front of the moon; the shadowed figure had the form of a teenage boy with a crooked shepherd's staff in his hand and an equally crooked smile plastered on his face that made Jamie's skin crawl, his friends rushing around him all but forgotten as he stared on in fearful bewilderment.

Just when Jamie was about to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't just seeing things, the same cackling laugh from earlier began to echo in his mind, haunting him until his vision grew dark and he passed out.

In the end, he knew that it had to be _Jack Frost_. A week before the event happened, his mother had mentioned the name of _Jack Frost_ before he went outside without a hat, claiming that he would nip at his nose. And for a while, he believed it to be true so he took extra precautions to prevent the mysterious wintry being from bothering him.

However, that seemed to only irritate _Jack Frost._ That's the reason Jamie fell through the ice. _Jack Frost_ was _evil_ ; _He_ was angry that Jamie avoided him so _He wanted_ him _dead._

Well, with no solid explanation, that's the way Jamie saw it. Either way, though, it had to be true _._

No one believed him, but Jamie was absolutely sure that the figure he saw that night was _Jack Frost_. It had to be.

After all, _his nightmares told him so._

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Oh, snap! It seems poor Jamie has got Jack Frost all wrong!** ** _Or…_** **does he? Something dubious is going on, but I'm quite sure you already know who the mastermind behind it is…And wait, what?! Jack has a believer that he doesn't even know believes in him? Hmm...Anyways, a lot of things happened in this chapter! Sarila revealed her opinion of Jack Frost, and the Seasonal Courts' views of Winter and its supposedly notorious herald were also revealed by her as well. Meanwhile, Jack asked Baby Tooth why the Guardians wanted to kill him while, at the same time, traveling southward so he could leave her somewhere warmer. In the next chapter, expect our favorite winter spirit to meet the Guardians yet again. ]:}**

 **Also, school is my #1 priority at the moment so please expect me to update next month at the earliest (winter is coming)! I will probably give you a Q &A before that as well! Anyways, please let me know what you thought of this chapter, and I would appreciate it greatly! If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and I'll try to answer them in the next Q&A update! Thank you so much for your amazing support, and until next time, bye!**


	8. No More Running

**A/N: ****Welcome back to** ** _The Serendipity of a Misunderstood Winter Spirit!_** **And listen, I know that it's been a** ** _long_** **time since I did a full update, and I apologize for that. I had extreme writer's block in combination with some procrastination due to being in school (and along with me becoming fascinated with other fandoms). With that being said, I don't know when the next update will be so please be patient. Anyways, the main point is that** **you're here and I'm here and the new chapter is here! Yay! And,** ** _wow!_** **Over 100 reviews, and not to mention, the Favs and Follows!** ** _You guys are awesome!_** **Thank you so much for sticking with me and for your support!**

 **So, without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: No More Running**

 _"_ _Would you mind telling me why the_ Guardians of Childhood _tried to..._ kill _me earlier?"_

Shortly after his question was answered, Jack Frost reached the outskirts of a small town where the air was still crisp enough for a winter spirit but now warm enough to breath life back into the little fairy accompanying him. Jack remained silent as the answer seeped distastefully into his mind.

Once safely perched on a rooftop, though, he began to laugh. It started low but soon grew louder.

The reason behind his laughter wasn't because what Baby Tooth had told him was funny—no, not at all; he was laughing because the answer was _exactly_ what he'd expected it to be.

Unsurprisingly, the Guardians of Childhood actually believed that _he_ , of all spirits, of course, was a threat to the world—just like everyone else. The incident involving them last night was no mistake, he had already known; the winter spirit clearly recalled the not so jolly fat man declaring that _they_ had come to kill him on behalf of all the children he'd supposedly murdered, but to hear the reason behind his condemnation straight from the mouth of one of their own minions had somewhat kindled an assurance that his attackers could not provide whilst they themselves tried to murder him, and the overall absurdity of it made him laugh. This belief that he was a coldblooded killer even explained why Baby Tooth had initially attacked him; the brave little fairy had seen him as a threat, an enemy of her queen and the other Guardians that needed to be stopped at all costs even if that meant sacrificing herself just to injure him somehow.

Jack slowly concluded his laughter to look back down at the palm of his right hand where a puzzled Baby Tooth was seated, a solemn expression now plastered on his face.

"Tell them," he hesitated, trying to formulate the words in his mind, "tell them that I'm _not_ as terrible as they think I am, that I'm actually quite far from what they believe me to be…I highly _doubt_ that they would listen, but…I suppose it's worth a shot."

The tinge of sadness in his voice elicited a sympathetic expression from Baby Tooth. He watched as she promptly hovered out of his palm, her iridescent wings catching his eyes as they hummed, and before he knew what she was doing, the hummingbird-like fairy cheerfully placed a gentle peck on his frosted cheek.

He gave a small mirthful laugh, flashing his brilliant white teeth at the now ecstatic tooth fairy. Just then, though, Jack remembered something very important he had to tell the mini-fairy that knew of his location.

"And _please_ , for my sake," he spoke, looking directly into her purple and blue eyes, " _don't_ tell _them_ where I'm at. Will you do that for me, Baby Tooth? _Promise?_ "

The mini-fairy promptly snapped out of her daze, giving the wintry teen a reassuring chirp and a salute as she hovered in the air in front of him.

The winter spirit took that as a yes and nodded once with sincerity, "Thank you."

He doubted the Guardians would try to track him down in the harsh, vast wastes of the arctic tundra, but it was better safe than sorry. Besides, Jack trusted Baby Tooth with keeping his secret—they were friends now, after all. And at that thought, sadness briefly washed over the winter spirit as he realized it was time to say goodbye to the little tooth fairy. He was sure that Baby Tooth still had a job to do for her "queen"; teeth couldn't collect themselves, after all.

"Well, I guess this is goodb—"

Without warning, Baby Tooth had darted into his shoulder, which confused Jack on her reason to do so for a moment until he looked down at her, and his eyes widened with shock at what he saw.

She was giving him a _hug_.

True, with their different sizes, it didn't really seem like a proper hug, but it was a hug, nonetheless.

So, he hugged her back with his free hand placed gently over her and his head leaned downward into the embrace, a habit he'd witnessed in parents when they hugged their own children. It felt weird but comforting, to say the least; he definitely wasn't used to all the social interaction he'd gained in only the matter of a few days. Jack tried to think of something to say to the mini-fairy but only the whisper "Goodbye, Baby Tooth" left his lips as she gripped the frosted cloth of his blue hoodie. _How could a creature this sweet,_ he wondered earnestly, _work for someone as hateful as a Guardian?_

And, for a moment, Baby Tooth stayed still, and then the next, she floated away from the embrace, waving goodbye to him with a warm smile until, finally, the little fairy zipped away, her humming wings shimmering in the midday sun. Jack watched until she was no more than a twinkling speck in the far distance. Wind whirled around him comfortingly as he turned away, shifting his gaze to the street below while tufts of his silvery hair rippled.

 _Well,_ Jack mused partially in sadness, _she's better off away from me anyway._ He knew it was for the best that Baby Tooth was somewhere warmer without the accompaniment of an infamous winter spirit like himself who was thought to have frozen helpless creatures solid out of cruel pleasure. Jack inwardly scoffed. Without another thought, the wintry teen turned to leave and took to the air alone with Wind.

Now in the brisk atmosphere again, the lonely winter spirit sailed through the air due north, resuming his original route. After a while of searching his mind for something positive to think about, he realized that his injuries felt a lot better. In fact, the cold had done wonders to his beaten body; even his busted lip, he noted as he lightly chewed on it, seemed to have been diminished to just a scratch while his black eye had stopped throbbing entirely. His ribs still felt a little rough but definitely better than they'd been before.

As he continued to check over himself, Jack noticed that he could now straighten and move his left arm with almost no pain. He smiled at the thought of his recovery but paused when he glimpsed an off-white material peeking out from underneath his frosted sleeve. _Oh._ He'd…forgotten about that.

The wintry teen safely tucked his staff underneath his arm before promptly rolling the sleeve up to unravel what was left of the bandages Sarila had previously wrapped around the now-healed arm. Just for a moment, he tenderly held the weathered material in his hand before placing it in his hoodie's pocket and resuming a proper hold on his staff. His dark brows corrugated thoughtfully at the impression of her.

He then shook his head, trying his best to not contemplate any recent events at all; thinking of the past, he knew, only brought pain. So, to pass the time, he scanned his surroundings below.

There were buildings, trees, snow, and eventually, a white clearing that stretched as far as the eye could see, a welcoming sight. The afternoon sun still peaked through the clouds, and at this rate, he would be somewhere _very_ cold and isolated in no time at all. Somewhere where no spirits or _Guardians_ would be able to hurt him, a comforting thought. After thinking this, however, a sense of uneasiness suddenly tugged at the edges of his mind as he flew through the atmosphere.

On instinct, he paused and with a wary eye, scanned the sky around him for the source of this abrupt anxiety but found nothing unusual, just grey clouds above that were full of flurries ready to spill down and blinding white snow below as Wind began to pick up.

The wintry teen shrugged the feeling off, turning to continue his flight, but an eerily-familiar whirring noise from behind sent a chill up his spine, and upon facing the sound, a sharp force struck the hand that held his staff.

With a short yelp of pain and a grimace of shock, Jack quickly retracted his throbbing hand, thus releasing the hold on his wooden conduit.

Then, he began to fall.

Ignoring the pain, adrenaline wracked his mind and body as he lunged for the staff midair many times, helplessly flipping and flailing about without the Wind's embrace, before finally grabbing it and regaining his connection with Her. With his breathing now erratic and nerves on end, Jack didn't have time to recover from his short fall as the sharp whirring noise returned, the object barely clipping the top of his silver hair as he dove back from it. His wide blue eyes followed the zipping object as it flew downwards, but before it hit the snowy ground, a grey paw-like hand expertly caught from what he now realized was a boomerang with ease.

Jack's heart clenched in his chest before thudding loudly in his ears at the realization.

 _They_ had found him.

Icy-blue and grass-green eyes met almost instantly, and Jack briefly blanched at the sight before fiercely narrowing his eyes back at the face of the Easter Bunny, masking his shock as his mind raced. _How did they find me?! Did Baby Tooth tell them? No,_ he hoped, _she wouldn't have_.

Their staring contest was soon interrupted when the winter spirit noticed an approaching tsunami of shimmering gold from the corner of his eye. He swiftly flew upwards a good distance from the Sandman's attack, though, dodging it just in time before the giant wave of sand crashed down.

Quickly scanning the white landscape, Jack noted that the little golden man and the overgrown rabbit were the only ones there; it seemed that Santa and the Tooth Fairy were absent from this assault, which eased him a little, but there was still one undeniable fact that ran through the winter spirit's mind: the _damn Guardians_ had found him again, and they were _not_ going to give him up until he was _dead_.

Again and again, egg bombs, boomerangs, and sand attacks were flung his way, but Jack remained vigilant and evasive through the air, only having been caught in the nearby colorful blasts of a few egg bombs. Early on, he had decided that staying in the air where only one of the Guardians (the Sandman with his gravity-defying cloud of sand) could directly reach him was his best bet instead of fighting on the ground where both Guardians could take a grab at him.

 _What will it take,_ he thought, dodging a golden sand shark diving after him in midair. _For these crazy people to stay the hell away from me!?_ He already knew the answer to that question so there was really no point in initiating in conversation to figure it out; after all, the consequences of him losing this battle had already been mercilessly disclosed to him during the previous one, leaving him fearful for his life no matter what his masked expression currently said.

He seemed to have a grip on the situation, though, and the fact that he was nimbler than he was during their encounter last night seemed to somewhat shock the two Guardians as they struggled to affect him, sharing wide-eyed glances with each other every now and then when he gracefully sidestepped their attacks. They probably expected to face the same winter spirit vulnerable and weak from the injuries he'd sustained; that was the reason, he realized, that there were only two Guardians—they _thought_ they could handle him. Inwardly, Jack laughed; _didn't they know winter spirits healed in the cold?_ Nonetheless, he was very grateful that his body had somewhat healed between their last meeting and now or he probably wouldn't be able to dodge their advances so easily.

Jack couldn't say the same for the two Guardians as he, playing defense, brandished his staff towards an incoming ball of Dreamsand, shooting it down with a blast of cold. The blast quickly covered the ball with crackling frost that, interestingly enough, made the clump explode into a thousand frozen granules. The Sandman startled back while Jack didn't even get a chance to ponder the reason behind the strange phenomenon before an egg bomb grabbed his attention.

Just then, surprise flickered across Bunny's face as Jack, with his staff, artfully hit the egg bomb midair back in the Easter Kangaroo's direction. The overgrown rabbit barely dodged the colorful blast of his own bomb, a loud accented curse escaping him as he did so.

Before he could stop himself, Jack let loose a laugh at the irony followed by a remark. "Woah, cottontail! _You_ actually _guard_ kids with a mouth like that?"

Glaring, Bunny visibly fumed as he stood to his full height, snapping out a remark of his own. "Come down 'ere, and I'll show you exactly what words come to mind when describing you!"

Without another word, the Guardian swiftly reeled his arm back before launching another egg bomb at the winter spirit. Jack was prepared, though, and he mockingly awaited the incoming bomb by posing as a baseball player, his staff acting as a baseball bat. When the bomb neared, Jack swung, sending it flying in the direction of the Sandman who he'd seen from the corner of his eyes silently creeping closer through the sky while he and Bunny exchanged pleasantries. The short Guardian immediately jerked in surprise and backtracked, ducking beneath the bomb to avoid it.

And before the Sandman could recover to release another attack from his golden platform, Jack seized the opportunity to fly above the grey clouds where he couldn't be so easily reached for a while at least.

" _Oi! Frost!"_ A fuming voice echoed from below, "We're not finished with you yet _, ya monster!_ "

Jack ignored the shout and closed his icy-blue eyes to weigh his options instead, letting his mask of fearlessness fall while his heart continued to drum against his ribs. _Something had to give,_ he thought, searching his mind for an answer, _this can't go on forever._ And then, an idea.

He could run.

He was doing good so far, but how long would his luck last?

It was a welcoming thought that he could easily just run away and hide, like he usually tried to do when faced with a threat. And he so badly wanted to run too, to avoid the confrontation he dreaded was waiting for him down below the clouds. If he did run, however, Jack knew that they would keep coming back until their mission was complete and he was dead, faded into oblivion and nothing but a memory of the Wind. But Jack was _so_ _tired_ of being picked on, threatened, beaten, and thinking that his life could be ended with any encounter. He _wasn't_ a monster, he _wasn't_ a killer, and he was sick of being treated as such.

And, most of all, he was _sick_ of running.

Wind ruffled his silvery hair in encouragement, and an unbelievable anger he'd never felt before had begun to swell within him, an avalanche of rage that made him swear on his existence that he _wouldn't_ go down without putting up a fight.

Above the clouds, the winter spirit straightened sternly while he fumed, his fury growing as he thought of the two Guardians that waited to kill him below for no justifiable reason at all. They thought he was an evil spirit, a monster. If anything, they were the monsters, hounding after a lonely spirit who had done _nothing wrong_ like it was some type of _sick_ game.

His sore bloodied hand, the one that had previously been hit with the boomerang, gripped his staff so hard that his knuckles threatened to break through the swollen skin.

" _If they still think I'm a monster,_ " he growled underneath his breath, " _then I'll show them a monster."_

With his brows furrowed, Jack snapped his cold blue eyes open, a steely glint in them.

His mind was made.

With a sharp battle cry, Jack Frost emerged from the clouds like a living bullet as Wind howled fervently alongside him, his staff raised above his head as he zoomed towards the surprised Guardians standing in the snow and out in the open. Before they could fully react, the winter spirit brought the wooden conduit down in their direction, and a giant burst of ice bolted towards them with lightning-like speed. The Sandman, however, suddenly seemed to be quicker as he directed his sand to form a giant shield above him and his fellow Guardian, much to Jack's vexation.

"Way ta go, Sandy!" The Easter Bunny cheered briefly out of shocked relief as the little man concentrated and held up his arms, Dreamsand surging from them to finish forming the giant sand shield above.

 ** _CRACKZZZOOOM_**

Abruptly, the almighty ice-bolt impacted the shield of sand, shaking the very air itself as it did. To the Guardians' shock, the sand shield began to freeze and burst as ice swiftly spread across it, just like the ball of Dreamsand from earlier. Bunny and Sandy stood there dumbstruck for a moment before shielding themselves from the oncoming shower of frozen-Dreamsand particles that created a hazy cloud around them in combination with disturbed and kicked-up snow, the wind now still and silent.

Without warning, a flash of frost ripped through the thick cloud towards Bunnymund, causing the Pooka to yelp in surprise as he dodged the shot while Sandy released a silent gasp of shock in response. After quickly recovering, Bunny squinted towards the spot where he'd previously been standing to see a tall pillar of jagged ice that had formed as a result of the winter spirit's attack.

"Where are ya, you bloody devil?!" The Pooka bellowed into the opaque cloud, tenaciously gripping his last boomerang as he huffed, the Dreamsand-snowflakes that surrounded him chilling his nose and reminding him of another reason why he hated the cold.

Standing beside the Pooka, Sandy formed two golden whips from his endless supply of Dreamsand, holding them at the ready for any sign of Jack Frost. The two Guardians were back to back as they waited for either the cloud enveloping them to disperse and clear or the winter spirit to strike again, knowing that if they left the cloud blind, they would be at the mercy of the malicious spirit that was undoubtedly waiting for them outside.

After a few moments of squinting through the thick cloud, the vigilant Pooka's ears perked to his left at what sounded like a light crunch of snow— _a footstep_. He promptly dropped the hint to Sandy by nudging the Guardian of Dreams and then shifting his eyes. Silently, the two Guardians faced the direction that Bunny had heard the noise come from, their weapons readied.

As expected, a skinny silhouette appeared in the cloud; its owner couldn't have been more than a short distance away and looked as though he was trying to peer through the haze just as they themselves had been doing moments before. A fleeting smirk smeared onto the Pooka's smug muzzle while Sandy's expression hardened sternly at the sight of Jack Frost's silhouette. _They had him now._

After sharing a knowing glance, the two Guardians simultaneously unleashed their weapons.

* * *

"Yes!" Jack fist pumped the air in triumph after seeing that his ice-blast had successfully hit the Sandman's shield of sand which, in turn, had been effectively pulverized.

"Did you see that, Wind?!" He queried with exhilaration. "Oh, it was fantastic!" In response, Wind whirled around the wintry teen in equal excitement before quietening down a bit.

Jack, with an impressed glimmer in his eyes, looked down at his open palms almost as if beholding the power within them. He'd never done that before—he didn't even know that he had the raw power to generate such a huge rush of ice until now. His gaze shifted to the wooden staff that sat in his right, busted hand, and he grinned smugly.

Playing monster—or better yet, _Guardian_ —was _fun_ , to say the least.

Initially, the wintry teen was a little worried that his attack wouldn't work at all when he saw the Sandman quickly form the vast shield. But now, from his vantage point in the sky, as he looked down at the thick particle cloud the two stupid Guardians were shrouded in, he knew that the upper hand was his.

And suddenly, a delightful idea struck Jack.

With a mischievous smile, the winter spirit raised his staff, and scanned the opaque cloud of frozen sand about 30 feet below him. Then, after pinpointing the spot he recalled Bunny standing in before the shield was formed, he brought his conduit down, releasing an ice-bolt in that direction and awaiting the tell-tell response that would indicate to him whether his bolt struck true.

After a moment, when the ice-bolt's impact could be heard and then nothing, Jack's smile widened into something devilish, his teeth sparkling as the sun peaked out from behind the clouds. However, an angry voice yelled back from the cloud below only a few seconds later, "Where are ya, you bloody devil?!"

Jack immediately deflated, whispering under his breath, "Damn it."

The wintry teen proceeded to think about his next move.

Jack knew that he needed to finish this, to end this fight with the two Guardians forever, and if he had to possibly kill both of them to do it then so be it; after all, it was either them or him.

Sighing, he brought his left hand through his silvery-white hair and shrugged while murmuring to himself. "Well, at any rate, there's no use in continuing to shoot blind and letting them know where I'm at…" _Besides,_ he thought, _it's better to bring the fight to them, the cloud will provide some cover for me as I look._

With that being said, Jack promptly began to descend to the snowy ground, landing a few feet away from the cloud of frozen sand. With a deep breath, he entered the billowing mass with both his staff and vigilance readied, careful of the sound his bare feet made when sneaking quietly across the cold powder. The brisk air was silent, except for the hum of his own breathing and the deathly-quiet crunch of his footsteps.

Briefly, it surprised him how opaque the cloud was considering it was only made of floating frozen sand particles and some kicked-up snow. Originally, he imagined that it would be a little easier to see through, but noting that he was only able to see a few feet in front of him, he now knew that his expectations were wrong. Regardless, the cloud provided excellent cover for anyone inside the cloud, and the winter spirit was confident that the Guardians had no clue he was in it yet, searching for them.

Suddenly, Jack snapped to his right where he thought he'd heard something, bringing him out of his thoughts while his bare feet clenched cold loose snow below. Ignoring the knots in his stomach, Jack slowly braved forward. His hands gripped harder around the aimed staff, feeling every detail in the ancient wood as he squinted through the haze for any sign of those stupid Guardians.

Before he could take another step, something smacked and curled painfully around his legs, making him gasp just before a rigid object bounced hard off his left shoulder blade, ripping a short scream of pain from his throat whilst his stomach churned from ensuing panic. In the same instant, an involuntary surge of shock erupted from his staff in the form of an ice-bolt, and Jack desperately hoped that it had at least struck one of the two Guardians he knew had found him. While his heart screamed at him to run, to jump, to do anything but stand there, he directed his frantic eyes to his legs to see what exactly was wrapped around them, but whatever it was pulled abruptly, swiftly knocking him off his feet and face forward into the snow before he could get a glimpse.

In a heartbeat, he flipped himself over, his wide eyes shooting to his legs again to find that they were trapped by golden whips made of sand, and almost instantly, the winter spirit sat up and lunged to free his legs from the taut material as if they were scorching his very skin. The winter spirit had barely touched his restraints before the Easter Bunny, on all fours, came out of nowhere and barreled into him, pinning Jack against the ground under his greater size, strength, and weight. With his heart now in his throat, Jack was sure his blue eyes were as wide as saucers as he stared into the narrowed green orbs above. Jack struggled for a moment, trying to free his arms and legs before realizing it was pointless.

Time slowed for Jack. They had him. _It just_ couldn't _end like this_. And just as the overgrown rabbit trapping him opened his mouth to speak, determination swelled within Jack, and he felt himself scowl defiantly back into the creature's green eyes while the hold on his staff tightened immensely. _It just couldn't._

"Gotcha now ya little—"

" _NO!"_

He had yelled it loudly, loud enough to rattle his own frame, and along with the yell came a blustering wave of winter Wind, strong enough to blow the stupid spirit of spring off of him, sending the creature tumbling several feet behind while the thick cloud enveloping them dispersed and cleared almost completely, littering the sparkling white ground with flecks of shimmering gold.

 _That'll take care of him for a while_ , Jack thought, smirking as he looked behind him at the Easter Kangaroo currently lodged headfirst into a deep snow drift. Jack's head then snapped towards the persistent, taunt tugging around his legs.

Since the cloud had cleared, he could now see the Sandman just a few feet in front of where he still sat on the ground. A stern expression was fixed on the little man's face as he held the two golden whips with both hands. With an equally stern expression, Jack let go of his staff, reached for the whips and gritted his teeth as he pulled them towards himself in an attempt to make the Guardian on the other end loosen his grip or let go. It didn't work seeing that the Sandman pulled equally as hard and unrelenting, his feet planted firmly into the snow. Around them, Wind was whipping up copious amounts of loose powder as they continued their tug of war while staring each other down.

After a minute, the wintry teen harshly huffed as he narrowed his eyes coldly; he'd had _enough_ of this. Jack tugged hard at the whips one last time before locking his blue eyes onto the Sandman's golden ones, staring him down with as much ferocity as he could muster. Then, with a voice cold enough to make a summer spirit shake, he demanded, " _Let. Me. Go."_

Without any hesitation, the stubborn Guardian of sand shook his head as if to say "no" while visibly tightening his grip on the whips. In response, Jack let go of the restraints and simply pointed his staff towards the Sandman, a steely unrelenting glint in his icy eyes as the temperature drastically dropped several degrees, cold air swelling around the end of the conduit. Jack smirked cruelly, but the Sandman's expression remained unchanged until just before the ice-bolt was going to be released when the Guardian's expression curiously changed, making the winter spirit pause briefly as he witnessed the corners of the little man's mouth turn upwards into something insidious.

Before the Sandman's smirk could even be fully deciphered, Jack felt two powerful arms grapple underneath both of his, pulling them back hard enough to make him gasp and his heart to hammer out of surprise. _It was all a distraction!_ Jack inwardly cursed himself for forgetting about the Easter Kangaroo while he proceeded to thrash, shove, and jerk away from the overgrown rabbit restraining him in an attempt to free himself, but the effort was all in vain. However, while he struggled, Jack managed to bend his free hand back as best he could to touch the furry shoulder of the Guardian behind him, vengefully surging frostbite from his fingertips when he finally made contact.

 _"_ _Sandy! Now!"_

Quicker than Jack could imagine, something grainy smashed into his face. Almost immediately following that, his awareness became unfocused, and although Jack _didn't want_ to withdraw his small attack, he could feel the frostbite involuntarily retreat back into his fingertips from Bunny's shoulder.

His animosity and will to fight faltered but soon slipped his mind almost entirely as he blinked once, then twice at the floating, golden particles drifting around his eyes while his vision blurred and darkened. As overwhelming drowsiness continued to wash over him, his body went lax, and he felt his head slump back against something furry before his eyelids drooped closed, an accented voice echoing insidiously in his mind.

"Nighty-night, mate."

Then, there was nothing.

* * *

 **Q &A**

 **These are questions and answers concerning _The Serendipity of a Misunderstood Winter Spirit_. As a side note, I know some of you are unhappy about the Q &As and after some constructive criticism, I've decided that I won't do them anymore unless there comes a point where everyone is asking the same questions (which I doubt).**

* * *

 **Is there a hierarchy in the seasonal courts?**

Mentioned a little in Chapter 7 by Sarila, there is definitely a hierarchy in each of the four seasonal courts. Underneath Mother Nature, there is the Supreme Minister of the Season who overlooks their individual season as Mother Nature overlooks all of the seasons among many other things. Beneath that, there is the Seasonal Council which mainly plans their specific season out with the help of the Supreme Minister. Below that are the Heads/Superintendents of the season which pass out orders to individual Seasonals, instructing them how to carry out their work for the season that year. An example of a Head/Superintendent of the Season that has been seen in the AU so far is May Flowers.

 **Does Baby Tooth know that all of the other mini-fairies have been captured by Pitch?**

Although Baby Tooth is connected to Toothiana and the other mini-fairies, she does not know that the other mini-fairies have been captured yet.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Oooo, I hope you all enjoyed this long-awaited chapter! Did it go how you expected it? Are you shocked? Angry? Worried? What do you think will happen next? Please feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think! Next chapter will be all about Jack and the Guardians! Also, to be more interactive, I'm going to be responding to some of the reviews from the previous chapter:**

 **-FunnyDs1, thanks! I'm so glad you liked it!**

 **-PlaidOtaku, thank you, and about the 'wb t b t' part in Chapter 6, it was meant to say 'What about 1968?', but due to technical errors, it didn't. It should be fixed now, but if it isn't, let me know.**

 **-Yellowmiki98, nice theories! I can see the story going either way, but if you don't mind me saying, one of your theories seems to be true (but only partially). Only time will tell…**

 **-WinterCrystal1009, thanks, I'm happy to hear you that you thought the broken-up thoughts were awesome! And please, if you don't mind sharing, I would love to hear your theories!**

 **-Randomly Talented, pshh, I have no idea what you're talking about, spring and winter together, what? That's crazy talk! And yes, poor Jamie's definitely not okay right now.**

 **And thanks to all the other users who reviewed for Chapter 7! Anyways, thank you all so much for reading and for your support, and until next time, bye!**


	9. Color Him Captured

**A/N:** **Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? And I'm so grateful to be back! Thanks to everyone who continued to support this endeavor! I really do apologize that it's been such a while since I last updated, I'm in my first year of college, and it is crazy!**

 **So, first things first, something I need to cover:**

 **New updates will not be as long as older ones. Usually, in the past, I would compile about two or even three chapters worth of material into one chapter, but since things have gotten so busy, I will only be writing no more than 2,000 words for each chapter now (unless there's an exception like a major battle in which I will write a little more, of course).**

 **So, without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Color Him Captured**

He woke up, grogginess clouding his senses while his whole body ached. He wanted to lay where he was and forget the world again, but something was off. Jack couldn't tell exactly what it was, but he knew something was wrong.

The world was quiet and distant, the usual murmuring of Wind and nature replaced with the strange mumbling, clanging, and mechanical whirring that was reminiscent of…a factory?

Jack's crystal eyes shot wide open as he sat upright in alarm, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest. His frantic gaze darted in every direction as his mind raced. _Where was he? What happened?_

He froze.

The Guardians.

 _He'd been captured by the Guardians._

His breathing hitched at the realization, the room growing far colder than it already was as frost began to creep along the dark floor at a rapid pace.

" _No, no, no,_ " he whispered in a panic, reaching up to run his hands through his silvery white hair as a way to alleviate the ensuing storm of dread. However, he stopped short when he noticed that both of his hands, one still bloodied no thanks to a certain enlarged rabbit and his boomerang, were bound together by bulky metal cuffs. The winter spirit's breath stilled, his icy-blue eyes staring at the chains for a moment before closing them shut and deflating. _What was he going to do?_

Other than the possibility of torture, the wintry teen didn't have the slightest idea on why the Guardians decided to keep him alive. He opened his eyes, terror yet again filling them at the full realization. _Oh, God, what would they do to him?_

An image flashed in his mind, one of fire, making his cold skin crawl. Another one came involving being beaten black and blue, and he, a Winter Spirit shivered. It's all happened to him before, and he was not looking forward to it happening to him again. However, if he ever wanted to escape from the room that they were holding him in, he knew that he had to remain calm, cool, and collected. So, he simply closed his eyes.

Minutes flew by before Jack was able to open them again. The frost that once covered the floor had disappeared, but his worries were far from gone. He calmly exhaled as he gathered his thoughts.

First things first, his staff. _Where_ was his staff?

After finally wiping the sleep from his icy-blue eyes with the palms of his bound hands, he scanned the dim somber room he was currently situated in for the conduit. The room itself, he noted, was quite plain. The only decoration visible seemed to be the accents carved into the dark wooden rafters above that strangely reminded him of Russian origin, the floor and walls made of cold stone. It was like an attic.

Where exactly did they take him? On the ceiling, there was a barred skylight which was the only source of light that filled the room. Wind sent breezes through the gaps, but Jack couldn't understand her. Out of everything in the room, though, the thing that grabbed his attention the most was the cell-like bars that were separating him from the closed door on the far side of the room. Nevertheless, there was still no sign of the familiar piece of wood that he knew as his staff. Jack scowled. They must've hidden it from him.

The conduit-less wintry teen began to think about what to do next. Without his staff, his abilities were limited to just freezing things if he concentrated hard enough so what could he do? After a few more thoughts, the winter spirit suddenly beamed mischievously as an idea graced his mind.

With as much power as he could muster, he grabbed the metal cuffs around his wrists and let the cold surge from his fingertips until the metal was completely covered in ice.

Jack promptly stood up, wobbling a bit in the process, and walked towards the metal bars. Outside of the room, there was some sort of clanging that repeated over and over among the other factory-esque sounds. Deciding it was not a very smart idea to let anyone know he was awake, he synchronized throwing the manacles against the bars of the cell with the clangs, each time growing harder.

 _...CLANG!_

 _...CLANG!_

 _...CLANG!_

 _...CLANG!_

 _...CLANG!_

Jack then stopped to look for any damage on the cuffs and there wasn't even a scratch! Instead, the ice on them strangely began to melt and a sheen swept across the surface as if the metal itself was protected by something. The winter spirit tried again a few more times, hoping the metal would shatter, but it was a fruitless attempt. If anything, the impacts just made his wrists hurt, which did not help his already injured hand. Jack stepped away from the bars sighing and slumped down to the frigid floor.

Almost as soon as he did so, the door to the room creaked open just a little bit, and Jack tensed, his heart pounding at the conclusion that they must've heard him.

And just when he thought he was going to have to stand up to one of the Guardians, a little creature wobbled into the room with a jingling hat on; it was an elf.

 _Wait a second_.

Jack was being held captive in a place that sounded like a factory and had elves roaming around in it. Not to mention, Santa was one of the stupid Guardians that is probably still involved in the "Kidnap Jack Club."

 _He was in Santa's Workshop._

So much for vowing to never go near the Workshop again.

Jack would've felt giddy inside (although a part of him still did anyway) at the fact that he was finally in the yeti-fortified Workshop, that is if he wasn't in a life-threatening situation. He wondered if Phil knew he was there. Jack shook his head. He needed to focus on somehow taking advantage of the elf that was still in the room. And who knew, maybe the creature didn't even know who the infamous Jack Frost was.

The winter spirit observed the little elf wander around for a moment, almost as if it was looking for something. It hadn't noticed Jack yet so with a friendly smile, the winter spirit stood and stepped closer to the bars...And the elf still hadn't noticed his presence.

So, Jack softly cleared his throat. This caused the small awkward creature to face the noise, and when the elf saw the winter spirit before it, it began to tremble in fear, causing the bell on its hat to jingle rather loudly. Quickly, not wanting to draw attention to the room, Jack reassured the elf.

"Shhh, shhh, don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

With that, the elf relaxed, staring shyly up at the winter spirit. Jack continued.

"I really need your help. You see, I'm locked in here, and I don't know where the key is. Could you help me find it and bring it to me?"

To Jack's unexpressed annoyance, the elf tilted its head in confusion and blinked.

"Or maybe you can find a long stick…It kind of looks like a shepherd's crook."

The elf continued to stare uncomprehendingly. Jack deflated.

"You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?"

In response, the little elf nodded fervently, causing the bell to ring out again.

" _No! Shhh, shhh!_ "

Suddenly, the door to the room opened wide, causing Jack to stumble backwards into the shadows of his cell, the room flooding with new light. The elf frantically ran into the cell with him just as a towering silhouette stood in the doorway. Jack narrowed his eyes, anger filling his heart.

"Ah, Jack Frost, what nice surprise."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So, that's all folks (for now)! What did you think about this chapter? Let me know in a review! I didn't like the title all that much...but next up is me responding to some reviews from Chapter 8!**

 **-WinterCrystal1009, in the hierarchy of Seasons, Jack and Sarila both currently are considered regular ol' seasonals (the majority). They are just below Heads/Superintendents of the Seasons. Thank you for asking!**

 **-OrangeWolf4, thank you for your continuous support! I'm so glad you love my story! :)**

 **-Pokibal2001, wow! What a wonderful review, thank you! Also, about Jack and Sarila, friendship is for certain but I'm still debating on having a romance in this story. Maybe if I ever get around to creating a sequel or a series of short stories...**

 **-Dragongirlie, there will be more chills down your spine if you continue reading, I can guarantee you that! Thanks for your review!**

 **And thanks to all the other users who reviewed for Chapter 8! I don't know when I will be able to update next, but it will be this year for sure (next chapter is already a work in progress)! If you get bored without my story, check out one of my favorite RotG stories called** ** _Running for Life_** **by sapphire316 and also give her ongoing sequel some well-deserved love (tell her I sent you, haha)!**

 **Anyways, thank you all so much for reading and until next time, bye!**


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